Riding for those who gave their lives

When Adam Sandoval decided to head out on a motorcycle run that would span more than a year, he wanted to find a charity that was worth the time, effort and risks involved. He found that in The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund.

Sandoval recently capped a project – "ScootinAmerica" – that spanned thousands of miles, dozens of states and more than a year. In doing so, he raised more than $191,000 for the Legacy Fund, which provides college scholarships for the children of servicemembers killed on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. Approximately $93,000 was presented by the Department of Florida on behalf of Sandoval on stage during The American Legion National Convention in Baltimore last year. Another $98,642.14 was submitted to the fund from Sandoval via American Legion Post 323 in Lehigh Acres, Fla.

When picking a charity, Sandoval said, “It had to be military-related, first and foremost, because I never served in the military. I wanted to give back to those who did. Not only is (the Legacy Fund) operated in a way that I think is phenomenal – I know the money that I donated is going to help generations to come. It’s not something that’s going to be burnt up today and 10 years from now is going to be gone. The money that I donated is going to be used for generations to come.

“Ten years from now, children are going to be benefiting from the efforts. It takes a lot of foresight to develop a program that’s going to provide in that fashion. It was an honor to do it for this one.”

Sandoval said there was another reason for choosing the Legacy Fund. “I think people don’t realize that it’s not just the soldier that makes the sacrifice,” he said. “It’s also the children, the spouses, the family that are left behind living with uncertainty every single day. (Legacy Fund recipients) are living the rest of their lives with a huge hole. I just think it’s our duty (to do) whatever we can to make life easy for them in this country."

After selling everything he owned to help fund the trip, Sandoval hit the road with his Chihuahua, Scooter, in November 2014 and used his travels to raise money for the Legacy Fund until March 2016. He traveled more than 6,000 miles during that span, stopping at more than 500 Harley-Davidson dealerships along the way to raise funds. He traveled coast to coast nearly five times.

The uncertainties involved in an undertaking such as his, Sandoval admitted, were scary. “I took a lot of risk,” he said. “But I felt the need to do something. I just was confident in the fact that doing the right thing would come full circle. And during the tough times – when I was really questioning what I was doing – I just kept in mind that our soldiers are overseas every day, and they are probably uncertain of the situation they’re in. I just thought that if they can live with that overseas, I can certainly do it in my own country.”

It wasn’t always easy. One day last winter Sandoval drove 380 miles through single-digit temperatures and wind gusts of 45 miles per hour. He stuffed Scooter in his jacket to keep his companion warm. “It was brutal,” he said. “I would stop at gas stations, and I stuck my hands in a hot dog warmer at one point just to try to thaw my hands out. But, again … I just know that if I were in the military I would have endured twice that for my country. And I know that men and women are over there enduring twice that (and) even more hardships.

“How do you complain when you know that you’re riding for people who gave their entire life? It was 15, 16 great months that I think (are) going to be some of the proudest moments of my life.”

As the word spread about his effort, Sandoval said he received strong support from American Legion Riders along the way. “Toward the end (of the journey) the response was great,” he said. “It’s a connection I’ll have with the Legion Riders and The American Legion for the rest of my life.”

While a substantial amount, Sandoval said he hopes his donation is “a drop in the bucket. I hope that, if nothing else, this mission inspires other people go outside of the box … and find ways they can help. If you did not serve in the military, find time to serve those who did.”