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HELPING WITH HORSEPOWER +
ABBOTT HOUSE = EMPOWHER

The Original Helping with Horsepower Bike Rebuild Program has launched again, this time honoring the past while empowering the Future with a Custom Harley-Davidson Road Glide Makeover!

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MITCHELL, SD - The original Helping With Horsepower Bike Rebuild Program has returned to Abbott House

in Mitchell, SD, this time with a legacy motorcycle that already has an amazing story and sparkling presence.

The program provides hands-on problem solving skills for 40 Abbott House girls, ages 7- 17. Together they will

re-design, repair, and customize a 2007 Harley-Davidson Road Glide that has been donated by influential

ambassador for women in motorcycling, Diva Amy Skaling.

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““Diva Glide One" is an expression of the motorcycle life of a long time Helping with Horsepower supporter,”

said Laura Klock, President and Founder of South Dakota non-profit, Helping with Horsepower. “Diva Amy has

moved forward in her journey to a new motorcycle, but wanted to give back with an opportunity for Abbott

House girls to be hands-on in a unique motorcycle makeover through our program.”

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On Friday, March 17, 2023 at Abbott House, the girls were introduced to the program, met the motorcycle, and

were given the homework of providing their design ideas to re-invent “Diva Glide One".

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“The Helping with Horsepower program is back and we are all very excited to start another project with Laura

and her team,” said Eric Klooz, Director at Abbott House, Mitchell, SD. “It has been almost 2 years since we

did a project so all of the girls will be new to it. As the girls learn the various types and uses of tools and how

to remove motorcycle parts they also learn about perseverance, teamwork, design, and problem solving. It is

truly amazing to see the pride, confidence and self-esteem generated by the program. The project is great for

the young people we work with and it also raises awareness and much needed funding” Klooz said. “We are

excited to be starting again!”

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Once the makeover is complete, a special unveil will take place on August 8, 2023 at Sturgis Buffalo Chip Biker

Belles event. “Working with Laura Klock as one of our Biker Belles founders and Diva Amy as our long

standing Ambassador feels like coming home with Diva Glide One and Abbott House,” Toni Woodruff, Biker

Belles Director shared. “We have been there since the beginning helping to create these amazing bikes while

rebuilding lives through Laura’s curriculum and amazing partners. This bike is special, and it will be wonderful

to watch it and those involved transform it. As we enter our 15th year of celebrating women in motorcycling,

Biker Belles has become known as the Home for Women in Motorcycling at our annual Sturgis event. This year

we continue our mission of raising funds for local charities, while continuing to honor our past and empower

our future, encouraging and riding together."

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Someone will WIN this motorcycle. The project is also a fundraiser for Abbott House and tickets will be sold for

the motorcycle while the story of the amazing work the girls performed hands-on is told. Drawing will be held at

a special event in Spain 2024 (as Abbott House launches it's 85th YEAR!) to be determined. Watch for future announcements!

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“Industry leading companies join us as we rebuild these motorcycles, providing parts, time and talents to help the

girls discover and learn hands-on. We couldn’t do any of these projects without all of the amazing support we

receive,” Laura Klock said. “We can’t wait to tell you more!”

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About Abbott House:

Abbott House is a private charity that provides intensive residential treatment, therapeutic foster care and

independent living services to young people up to 21 years of age. Abbott House facilities are located in

Mitchell and Rapid City, South Dakota. The Abbott House is truly dedicated to providing services to South

Dakota children and families that promote personal development and foster responsible behaviors with others.

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About Helping with Horsepower Bike Rebuild Program:

The HWH Bike Rebuild Program began in 2011 by President and Founder of HWH, Laura Klock, wrote a

curriculum because of her desire to share motorcycles as an effective tool to teach life lessons to youth ages

7-17 in residential treatment. The Abbott House in Mitchell, South Dakota, was the first location, and the

program was so successful that 5 projects, which completed 6 magazine worthy custom motorcycles hands-on

in the classroom with youth in care, had a significant financial impact from the bike raffles for the Abbott House,

and produced measurable results in personal growth and reduced critical incidents while youth were

participating. Inquiries came in so Laura taught and licensed the curriculum to other centers. At its peak, there

were as many as eight Helping with Horsepower Bike Rebuild Programs being facilitated at residential

treatment centers across the US, including the Omaha Home for Boys in Nebraska, AND Pine Bush High

School in New York where youth customized a Victory race bike to set records at the Bonneville Salt Flats!

For more information contact Virginia Wishard Lambert at the Abbott House at 605.996.2486 or Laura Klock at

Helping With Horsepower at 605.999.9824.

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Official press release - click HERE!

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EmpowHER raffle will be held Spring, 2024 as Abbott House launches its 85th YEAR serving children!

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Proceeds benefit Abbott House, Mitchell, SD. 

Helping with Horsepower is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and the bike rebuild program is offered free to participants!

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Special THANK YOU to our Sponsors!

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Sponsors/Donors/Modifications

 

  • This 2007 Harley Davidson Road Glide has been donated by Diva Amy Skaling, a long time supporter of Helping with Horsepower. 

  • Abbott House residents are hands-on throughout the process! Class is held every Friday from 1-3:00 and the girls rotate so that all 40 girls in care get a chance to work on the motorcycle. 

  • Jennifer Bainbridge is lead mechanic on this project. As an older motorcycle with some miles, the team has torn down the motor and replaced gaskets, fluids, cams, neck bearings, wheel bearings, and more!

  • Arles Ness rocker box and motor covers

  • KST adjustable Handlebars

  • Klock Werks dash, fenders, fillers, plate frame and Flare windshield

  • Kicker Audio upgrade kit

  • Vance & Hines VO2 intake/velocity stack and slip on mufflers

  • Dennis Kirk provided new rotors

  • Paul Yaffe/Baggernation lights cut into fender fillers, fairing lights

  • Custom seat by Victor, TheSeatGuy

  • Drag Specialties sent oil, gaskets, battery, lifters, fork rebuild kit, brake pads, brake fluid, handlebar bushings and more!

  • PPG Paint, blue over gold metallic

  • Chris at ABS in Mitchell, SD mixed our pinstripe paint and is always integral to these projects

  • Original Concept blank drawing by Tex McDorman, TexEFX

  • Paint and bodywork by Todd Dozark of Liquid Designz

  • All oil provided by Drag Specialties

  • Dakota Horsepower/Chris Degen provided tires, wheel bearings, valve stems and labor to install

  • Reda Innovations sent haldlebar workstation, posi-lock saddlebag mounting kit, CycleCare complete detail/cleaning package with all accessories

  • Northern Tool/Tools for the Trades Program sent a HUGE box of needful things! Safety glasses, gloves, gift certificates, $500 Gift Card for tools that we redeemed for our tool box, t-shirts, flannels, stickers

  • 3M 1080 Wrap material! To keep the project in house as much as possible we had the idea to use wrap material for our graphics so the girls could be hands on for the process! Todd/3M provided a Zoom tutorial and the material

  • Synergy Signs/Dave Sietsema cut our 3M wrap material for us so we could easily install our flame graphics in the classroom

  • MOTAK/Justin Hamer sent us their awesome saddlebag tether with our logo embroidered into it!

  • Kevin VanOverschelde from Mitchell, SD, gave us a new set of saddlebags and lids!

  • Amanda Hornbook, Clutch and Canvas, did a drawing for us that got us to the next level from the girls drawing submission

  • Dave Dunn, Barb Young, Crystal Young, Shannon Lerew, Lynda Schoenfelder and more volunteered their time

  • Nicole Lockwood painstakingly pinstriped the project

  • Diva Amy ordered us CRYSTALS as we have never added crystals to a motorcycle before. She has been supportive and integral to this process. Empowered women empower women.

  • Brian Fathke, FathDigital for always documenting our journey! (photographer)

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