Gino Hawley is a veteran of the Vietnam War, a United States Marine, a recipient of the Purple Heart for wounds received in action, a father, and a grandfather. He is also a victim of the 2017 fires in the California Wine Country that devastated Sonoma and Napa counties, and left thousands of families without homes. Like many others, Gino lost everything. His home, his car, his classic Ford Ranchero, and his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, along with countless irreplaceable items of both personal and military significance.

The motto of the CVMA is “vets helping vets.” One of our core missions is finding ways for our members – all U.S. military veterans and their spouses – to help other veterans in need. Chapter 33-9s sergeant-at-arms, Anthony Gonzalez, is also a talented local tattoo artist. He and the other artists at his shop, The Golden Rose (located in Modesto, CA) decided they wanted to help Gino and his family. To that end, they decided to donate a day’s worth of labor and materials and provide discounted tattoos, with all the proceeds going directly to Gino and his family. Chapter 33-9 seized on this generous offer and coordinated our 2017 Tattoo Run. The event brought dozens of motorcyclists and others to The Golden Rose for some awesome new ink and a great cause. The event raised several thousand dollars in an afternoon.

Chapter 33-9 would like to thank CVMA Chapters 33-2 (Stockton) and 33-7 (Sacramento) for coming out to support a brother in need. Special thanks also go to CVMA Chapter 41-2 (Northern Nevada) for their generous support.

And of course, an immense “thank you!” to the ownership and artists of The Golden Rose! They are all talented artists who provided some great new ink and generously gave of their time, skill, and materials, to help a deserving veteran in need. It probably doesn’t hurt that they are all U.S. military vets themselves!

If you’d like to donate to Gino and his family, you can donate securely via any of the PayPal donation links on our website. Simply mark “For Gino” in the comments and we will ensure that 100% of the donation is delivered to Gino and his family. CVMA Chapter 33-9 is a tax-exempt 501(c)(19) organization, and your donation may be tax-deductible.