Motorcyclists will ride into Kansas City, Kan., on Saturday to raise funds for an injured police officer in a center here.
Karen Jenkins, a Kansas City, Mo., motorcycle officer, is recovering at The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City, 8900 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan., from a Feb. 26 accident on her police-issued motorcycle.
According to Barbara Newby, activities director for The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City, Jenkins’ motorcycle club will start a run at Blue Springs Harley-Davidson and end at The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City. Some police officers are expected to participate. The public is invited to stop by the center around 1 p.m. Saturday to see the motorcycles and to contribute to the fundraiser.
Newby said residents of the center, who are known as guests, will be able to go out and see the motorcycles, and it will be a fun activity for them. The guests won’t be asked to contribute to the fundraiser, but the public may contribute.
Jenkins, a 26-year veteran of the Kansas City, Mo., police, was pursuing a person, trying to make a stop in Kansas City, Mo., when the accident occurred, Newby said. Both legs were broken, as well as ribs and wrists, and a compound fracture on the ankle. “At KU Med, she had a doctor for each leg,” Newby noted.
The motorcyclists and the public are being asked to help with Jenkins’ medical bills and also with bills for her adult daughter, who has cerebral palsy.
Newby said Jenkins is recovering well, and she expected Jenkins to be here at least another month.
At Blue Springs Harley-Davidson, Jenkins’ picture is on the “wall of fame,” because she is one of the top women motorcyclists in the area, logging the most miles, Newby said. Jenkins was the first black woman motorcycle officer in Kansas City, Mo.
If members of the public want to be part of the ride Saturday, they may call Harley Davidson in Blue Springs, 816-224-5005, or the public may come by the center and look at the motorcycles.