What do beer, bikes, and babies all have in common? The ability to bring a community together. On February 24, CEO of Lamar Construction, Carl Blauwkamp along with almost 700 members of the community, including New Holland Brewing Company staff members, were given a wonderful opportunity, and it came in the form of a custom built Chopper! The bike was made by renowned bike builder Paul Teutul Jr., of the Discovery Channel show, “American Chopper.” This bike was not just any bike, it was made from the heart.
Blauwkamp spent a great deal of time in DeVos Children’s Hospital upon the birth of his triplets in 1999 when they came prematurely. Today, one of them still suffers from a very rare immune disorder. In light of this fact, Blauwkamp became aware of the March of Dimes organization and has since organized walks with Lamar employees. But this step was even bigger. Blauwkamp, a big “American Chopper” fan, contacted Paul Teutul Jr. last year and shared an idea that he had to create a bike to be auctioned for March of Dimes. Teutul agreed and came to the Hudsonville area to unveil the bike to Blauwkamp and the community.
The bike will be placed into a raffle, running from now until November, to benefit the “March for Babies” fundraiser. It is Blauwkamp’s goal to raise $3 million for the organization. Attendees were able to get a glimpse of the bike while drinking New Holland beer and celebrating what is the beginning of a very heartfelt fundraiser. The Discovery Channel is set to air the episode of “American Chopper” Mar 12 at 9:00 pm so be sure to keep your eye out for our now-famous New Holland Brewing employees!
To read the full article on Mlive, click here.
