Hollister
– As the hours tick down to the motorcycle
”
invasion,
”
the stress builds for 44-year old rally volunteer Patricia
Whalen. But so, too, does the excitement.
Hollister – As the hours tick down to the motorcycle “invasion,” the stress builds for 44-year old rally volunteer Patricia Whalen. But so, too, does the excitement.
Whalen, a bartender at Johnny’s Bar and Grill, is one of the many volunteers making the Hollister Motorcycle Rally possible. Hollister born-and-raised, Whalen always attends the rally and has been a bartender at the event for many years.
But this year, she decided to become more involved by volunteering to help with the planning and eventually taking the reigns as volunteer coordinator.
“They handed it to me, and I just took off from there,” Whalen said. “This is just fun and a great challenge.”
Charisse Tyson, owner of Johnny’s Bar and Grill and chairwoman of the rally committee, said Whalen had been an immense help in the preparation and without volunteers like her the rally would not be possible.
Through her volunteering, Whalen has coordinated local nonprofit groups and other volunteers helping at the rally.
She wrangles a volunteer staff of around 400 people and hopes more people show up to help on the day of the rally.
The work building up to the rally has, at times, become overwhelming for Whalen. But she said it’s worth it.
“I’m only as stressed as I’m allowing myself to be. The rest I’m going to give to God, and he can deal with it,” Whalen said.
On Sunday, Whalen spent 15 hours organizing a spreadsheet detailing volunteer schedules. She didn’t change out of her pajamas all day, she said, and spent hours double-checking its accuracy.
While the work might seem overwhelming, Whalen has enjoyed meeting all the other volunteers and working with local service organizations and nonprofits, she said.
“I’ve met with a lot of great people. I love that these nonprofits are becoming involved with it because you know the money’s going to come right back to them,” she said.
All the work will pay off for Whalen this weekend when the rally rolls in. She loves meeting all the visitors from around the state and country, making the best of her long hours working during the event at Johnny’s.
After the last motorcycle leaves, Whalen said she’ll need at least two days to sleep off her long weekend. It won’t be long, though, before she’ll start helping on next year’s rally.
“I’ll do whatever they want me to do,” Whalen said. “When you do something that you believe in, it can only feel good.”
