Mecum Auction set for July 27 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee (July 21, 2014) – Jack Broomall holds eight different motorcycle land speed records, set at the world-famous Bonneville Salt Flats on a variety of bikes. The records are cherished, as are the machines. But Broomall won’t think twice about auctioning his BMW S1000RR later this month, as a donation to the Austin Hatcher Foundation (AHF) for Pediatric Cancer.
Broomall, you see, has a special link to the Foundation that goes beyond being a fundraiser, as a close friend of AHF founders Jim and Amy Jo Osborn. In the autumn of 2006, Broomall witnessed the short life of the Osborns’ infant son, Austin Hatcher Osborn, a life cut short by an aggressive cancer. It was a tragedy that led to the Osborns forming the Foundation, with the over-arching mission to erase the effects of pediatric cancer.
“I was one of the few who got to hold Hatch in their arms … yes, I guess you could say I have a pretty strong emotional connection to the Foundation,” Broomall said. “The connection runs deep, back to even before ‘Hatch’ was born and I saw the work Jim and Amy Jo were doing for children’s charities. I can remember thinking way back then, that they were just extraordinary people.”
Broomall will bring extraordinary to the table on July 27 as part of the Mecum Auction at Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, Pa., when he parts with the BMW. The bike carried him to a 1000cc Modified/Gas Class record average speed of 182.262 mph last summer. It has been modified to the fullest extent of the American Motorcyclist Association Land Speed Racing rules, and has a specially tuned engine capable of more than 200 horsepower.
All that is serious stuff. But not nearly as serious as the cause, which is the catalyst for this high-speed donation.
“I started going after land speed record at Bonneville in 2007 and I’ve used my success there as a forum to talk about the Austin Hatcher Foundation,” Broomall, from Malvern, Pa., said. “Bonneville and the advent of the Foundation coincided, and we’ve been able to doing something good.”
About the Austin Hatcher Foundation
The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer’s mission is to erase the effects of pediatric cancer and optimize each child’s quality of life through essential specialized intervention beginning at the time of diagnosis and continuing throughout survivorship. The Foundation provides services to children with cancer, as well as their families, through its cancer care center, Hatch’s House of Hope. The Foundation provides all services at no cost to the families. Services are funded solely by the generous donations of supporters.
For more information, visit hatcherfoundation.org or contact the Foundation via email at info@hatcherfoundation.org. Follow the Foundation on Facebook at facebook.com/austinhatcherfoundation and on Twitter at @austinhatcherfo.
