07/24/2025
The All-Star Ride for Life—a motorcycle ride to benefit Duke Children's Hospital—was founded in 2000 by Stan Simmerson who serves as a registered nurse in Duke University Hospital's Perioperative Anesthesia and Surgical Screening Clinic.
The idea for the ride came after a moment of compassion and action. As Stan waited to get his lunch in the Duke South food court in 2000, he noticed the line was taking longer than normal. Several people ahead of him in line was a man counting out change to see if he had 54 cents to cover the cost of a burger. He kept coming up short.
Stan offered and then paid for his meal, and the two sat down to eat lunch together. After speaking with him, Stan learned the man was from out of state and had a 3-year-old son in the pediatric bone marrow transplant clinic. His wife was home with their 18-month-old, and the man had lost his job because of all the work he'd missed caring for his child. For a few days, he had been sleeping in his car in the parking deck. Stan immediately called Duke social workers, who got him a hotel voucher and meal vouchers.
As Stan walked away from this moment, he realized, "I had to do more than just show up at Duke each day and do my job. There was more I could do." Then it occurred to him: he could start a charity motorcycle ride to raise money for the Duke Children's Hospital.
Stan's interest in motorcycles began around age 10 when he first zipped around his neighborhood on a mini-bike. Soon after, he got into road racing and in 1994, he won the Amateur National Championship at Daytona International Speedway while in nursing school.
It was only natural to combine his passion for people and riding, which led to the very first All-Star Ride for Life in August 2000.
For the first ride, about 65 riders joined. As time went on, more jumped in, and now close to 150 bikers participate each year. Since it first began, the ride has raised nearly $400,000! The money raised by the ride is given to the Duke Children's Miracle Network, which then disburses the funds to several programs at Duke that aren't covered by insurance. Stan noted, "One program is a summer camp Duke holds for seriously ill children, where there is a full staff of doctors and nurses on site to allow kids to forget about shots, medications, and other therapies for a brief period of time and just enjoy being a kid at camp."
In addition to the funds raised through registering as a rider, the bikers also stop at four different motorcycle dealerships along the way where owners present a check to the Duke Children's Miracle Network. The ride ends at the Duke Children's Hospital where bikers meet and hear stories from families who have a child receiving treatment at Duke Children's. Stan reflected, "There usually isn't a dry eye in the house when we leave."
Stan believes the superpower of the biker community is "how wonderful and willing they are to help out any worthwhile charity." He affectionately describes bikers as M&M's, stating, "They're hard on the outside but sweet on the inside." This year, the ride will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Saturday, August 23.
If you would like to donate or purchase a $20 All-Star Ride t-shirt whose funds go toward the donation, contact Stan at stanton.simmerson@duke.edu. You can also check out their page to learn more, see pictures from the event, and reflect on the impact the ride has for children on the road to hope, health, and healing.
