July 22, 2026

Mr. Terry McGowan, President
IUOE Local 139
P.O. Box 130
Pewaukee, Wisconsin 53072

Dear Friends,

Words don’t seem to adequately express how deeply, and personally, your ongoing support and generosity touch us. You have been there from the very start of our crazy hope to change one life… and here we are today, readying to place #70 back on their healing road, and three more still to come this summer. Please know how honored we are to have had you cheering us on every step of the way, and changing lives right alongside us. On behalf of Hogs For Heroes, I thank you for your stunning $140,000 donation in support of our healing mission. Know that your entire donation will literally help change another FIVE injured Veteran’s lives next year, if not save them, by using a motorcycle as the tool to return the alternative therapy found in riding.

We can’t even fathom how you all came up with an even bigger donation than last year’s jaw dropper. The Golf Outing was another stunning success, so well run and so effortless in appearance. We know the truth and thank all involved for the headaches, the many asks, the coordinating and the long, late hours put in. And the Poker Run—darn if that doesn’t grow every year as well with bikes and UTV’s coming together for their shared love of the road and to support our Veterans healing needs to get back on that same road. We hear nothing but overwhelming compliments about the routes, the area, the stops, the prizes, the swag, and Summit Ridge as the perfect host. There are many people who make these events as successful as they are, including the American Legion Post 139; with event leadership of Bob Cayer and Brian Swearingen, and of course, you, Terry, we can see and feel how character inspires others to share in the success of the whole.

Lest we forget the many vendors, businesses, clients, and customers who have generously supplied goods, services and donations. While we don’t know who they all are, we absolutely owe them our deep gratitude for their unbelievable support of the fundraising initiatives you coordinate for our Wisconsin Veterans.

One Bike at a Time. One Hero at a Time. That’s both our motto and our approach: first we raise the funds needed, then we find the Veteran to assist. Your generosity puts us that much closer to gifting another Harley-Davidson motorcycle to an injured Veteran needing to regain riding in their life fractured by service. There is a long-standing tie between our military, its service members and the benefits of motorcycling. We believe that regaining the freedom and peace of the open road, the pride and joy in ownership and the supportive brotherhood of riders can provide therapeutic value to those Veterans who have in enjoyed the passion for riding and now find themselves without means to have that bike struggling Hero, but to also convey a collective message of support for their service contributions, and sacrifices made, while protecting our country and freedoms.

Hogs For Heroes is a small Wisconsin-only nonprofit that was created in late 2014 by a family of four, none of whom served. As this volunteer work is done on the side of jobs and family, we hoped to be successful enough to gift one bike a year and change one WI Veteran’s life a year. We gifted our first Harley in May 2016, right on plan, and wrapped up 2025 by placing our 61st Veteran back on The Road. We have been off and running with an unbelievable plan to gift twelve bikes this 2026 season alone; and like the others that came before, use these tools to help heal and redirect twelve more struggling Veteran lives—and that of their families and communities—all because a motorcycle reentered their lives. Your outstanding fundraising efforts in 2025 were directly responsible for connecting four of those lives with a passion that heals, supports and reconnects.

Please know we can’t do this life-changing work without supportive people like yourselves at our side.

It is important you know we will keep your full donation—every single penny of it—focused directly on purchasing our next bike, and nothing else. We believe our Veterans deserve 100% from us.

Again, thank you for believing in our mission and for making a difference in the life of a deserving Wisconsin Veteran.

Warm regards,
Kevin Thompson, President
Hogs For Heroes, Inc.
www.hogsforheroeswi.org