On Sunday, June 13, 2021, the Molly-Dharma Motorcycle Run rode through Rollinsville and Black Hawk on a mission. The MDR is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization devoted to supporting no-kill animal shelters throughout Colorado. They always hold the annual run on the second Sunday of June with the benefits directed towards a different shelter each year.

The idea for the run originated with its namesake, Molly-Dharma, the amazing dog that brought the two co-founders together in the first place. Molly was a special needs dog who had violent tendencies. Ken Mann, one of the co-founders, was a volunteer dog- walker at the MaxFund Animal Shelter in Denver at the time and became one of the few people Molly trusted. Molly’s journey was a long one before the run even began and the full story can be found on the website but the gist of it is that she struggled with adoptions until Kirk Zimmerman entered her life. Zimmerman is the other co-founder of the MDR and became the adopter to keep Molly after a long, harrowing bonding experience. A true love story if there ever was one.

PHOTOS BY ARCHER O’BRIEN[/caption]

The Molly-Dharma Run then began in 2007 to benefit MaxFund, the very shelter that housed Molly herself for 2 1/2 years. It started off as a simple event with 18 motorcycles the first year but grew into a gathering of over 200 bikers within 5 years.

Aside from the main event that is the run, they also hold an afterparty each year with booths, live music, and a 50/50 drawing. While about 250- 300 bikers participate in the run, the afterparty actually draws in an even larger crowd amounting to around 400 people. It is truly an impressive community event with a fantastic cause to boot.

This year’s beneficiary was Soul Dog Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rescue organization in Fort Lupton. They are a shelter that helps dogs and cats, including those with special needs, get adopted into lovely homes but actually go beyond that. Aside from protecting animals, their mission also involves volunteering spaying/ neutering services to areas that need it.

These spay/neuter services are extremely important for decreasing overpopulation, especially in areas such as Native American reserves that hardly get access to those services. The tribal lands are the main focus for the rescue. Many animals out there often have to be given up because of their owners’ lack of resources for their pets.

The rescue provides basic spay/ neuter services for them but they also provide food, water, and dog-housing supplies in an attempt to keep as many of the animals with their owners as possible. Beyond that, they take in as many of the animals that need new homes as possible. This is just the tip of the iceberg, however, but there is much more information to be found on their website.

All-in-all, the Molly-Dharma Run is a fantastic event that gets a lot of love and care put into it each year. Everyone is highly encouraged to donate to the MDR, Soul Dog Rescue, and/or any of the other non-kill shelters the MDR has supported in the past. Above this story, you will see a photo showing tons of bikers all gathered together for the ride but it is a truly remarkable sight to see it for yourself knowing so many people in the biker community came together to support this cause. It can oftentimes be difficult to look beyond all the difficult situations in life, especially in the context of this past year which is why movements like these really count.

For more information about Soul Dog Rescue check out souldog.org.