Three fire chiefs organize ride to raise money for suicide prevention in honor of retired highway worker Dan Lawlor
DELMAR – This ride won’t be to a local emergency, but three local Fire Chiefs will lead a motorcycle ride for a former town employee to heighten awareness and raise money for suicide prevention.
“We had talked about a ride with all the guys every year and we decided to make it worth something more,” Delmar Fire Chief Dan Ryan said. “Our cause is going to be the Amercian Foundation for Suicide Prevention in memory of Dan Lawlor.”
Lawlor, nicknamed Flounder, was a retired 32-year Bethlehem Highway heavy equipment operator when he took his own life in April 2023. His positive impact on the community was so great, that the chiefs wanted to keep his memory alive.
“Dan was the type of person who would do anything for you. He would drop everything to help and always was a hard worker,” Slingerlands Fire Chief Craig Sleurs said. “He was a big Harley guy and always riding. The best way to show our support was a motorcycle ride to honor him. He loved everything motorized and especially motorcycles.”
Ryan, Sleurs and Elsmere Fire Chief Marc Futia decided that a motorcycle ride each summer would be appropriate and organized one for Sunday, Aug. 11.
At 10 a.m. motorcycle riders will gather at the Elm Avenue Park and the 1.5 to 2 hour ride will begin at 11 a.m. After the ride, a picnic for participants and fundraiser will be held at the Slingerlands fire house. The goal is to raise as much money for AMSP as possible.
“We hope to get enough donations for food and door prizes so 100 percent of the money collected will go to the cause,” Ryan said. “We will do this with no administration costs.”
The community has come together to help out and the three hope that this will heighten awareness.
“This is not something anyone here is doing for credit. We are doing it because it is the right thing to do,” Ryan said. “This event is an acknowledgement that this problem exists and we want to encourage people to get help. It reminds them that help is available and our community is here and engaged.”
The ride will consist of members from the community, local firefighters and many former co-workers from the Highway department, Ryan said.
“We hope to make this an annual ride,” he said.
“Dan was a big Harley guy and always riding,” Sleurs said. “He was always at Americade in Lake George and we felt the best way to show our support of this cause was a motorcycle ride. He loved everything motorized and especially motorcycles.”
Sleurs said he went to elementary school with Lawler and Ryan said he knew him for 20 years.
“We would always interact with each other through motorcycles or snow machines,” Ryan said. “We want to make this ride as big as his heart was for other people. If we succeed, it will be a long line of riders on Sunday.”
