Passion for motorcycles, animals leads to charity

Freedom.

That's what riding motorcycles is all about to Chuck Botts, an avid Harley enthusiast.

"I just like the freedom, the wind in my hair and the sun in my face," said Botts, who rides his 1998 Fat Boy Harley-Davidson — customized with red, white and blue stars and stripes — from his home in Summerville to work at the MeadWestvaco paper mill in North Charleston. A white beard accents his suntanned face.

Botts also has a soft spot for animals. So it bothers him to see abandoned dogs and cats languishing in cages at local animal shelters.

"I despise people who mistreat animals," he said. "I put them right up there with people who mistreat their own child."

He considers his two Labrador retrievers his children.

"If you can't love an animal, you can't love a human," he said. "That's the way I see it."

About four years ago, somebody with the Frances R. Willis Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which runs the Summerville animal shelter, mentioned the board could use help raising money to house the animals. About the same time, he learned that his employer had donated the land on which the shelter was built.

The connections clicked, and a mission was born.

Botts had heard about bikers doing poker runs to raise money for charities. They pay an entry fee to pick up each card of a poker hand along a specified route.

So he decided to start the Paw-ker Run to help the animals. But he decided to use ping-pong balls, like the lottery, instead of cards.

The entry fee is $20, which includes a T-shirt. Last year's first prize for drawing the best numbers was $350. Some of the bikers last year donated their winnings back to the SPCA, Botts said.

It started in 2004 with 100 bikers raising $3,000. Last year, 348 bikers raised more than $10,000.

Making it all happen takes quite a bit of planning and work. It starts with picking a date and lining up where bikers start and end their run.

This year, the Paw-ker Run is Sept. 22 at the Dorchester Shrine Club on S.C. Highway 61.

Botts then gets local restaurants to donate food, recruits cooks and finds a volunteer disc jockey to handle the music.

Then he lines up restaurants for the four other stops.

This year they are Skynyrd's Sports Bar in St. George, Gator Tail Tavern in Eutawville, Fat Boys in Moncks Corner and Rockafella's in Summerville.

Botts then designs and prints about 3,000 flyers and finds people to post them, in bike shops, for example. He also advertises on biker magazine Web sites.

Then there's designing the T-shirt.

This year, shirts show a Labrador retriever driving a motorcycle with a happy-looking kitten in a side cart.

Botts also recruits merchants to donate raffle prizes to raise more money. Last year about 75 merchants donated.

It's a lot of work, but he's formed a team of about 60 people to help him. He recruits volunteers from the biker community, the paper mill and his Confederate re-enactor buddies with the H.L. Hunley Camp.

"I've never had a problem getting help," Botts said. "Bikers are the most generous people you'll ever meet. Ninety-nine percent of people love animals. I don't really have to ask people. Most of them come to me."

Former Frances R. Willis SPCA Executive Director Bob Jones nominated Botts for the Jefferson Award.

"The Frances R. Willis SPCA is grateful to Chuck Botts for his donation of time, skills and compassion for the animals," Jones said. "He has shown time and time again that he wants the event to be successful for the participants and for the animals."

Reach Dave Munday at 745-5862 or dmunday@postand courier.com.