A charity motorcycle ride supporting free instrument giveaways for Clay County kids will roll through Orange Park on Nov. 15, with a stop at Crackers Lounge.

The J.P. Hall Children's Charities/Guitars for Kids Rising Stars Poker Run starts at 9 a.m. at VFW Post 7909, 6204 Blanding Blvd. in Jacksonville, with kickstands up at 10:30 a.m. Registration is $25 per rider or passenger and includes breakfast. After the Orange Park stop, riders continue to the Watering Hole at Smith Lake in Keystone Heights and VFW Post 3349 in Palatka before ending at the Boogerville Hideout in Green Cove Springs, according to a Clay Today community calendar listing. The event includes live music by Big Engine, prizes for best and worst poker hands, a 50/50 drawing, raffles and food.

The ride benefits Rising Stars: Guitars for Kids, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit co-founded by Paul and Lisa Wane. The program puts guitars, ukuleles, drum kits and other instruments into the hands of children and adults who want to learn but can't afford to buy their own, according to a Clay County Chamber of Commerce listing for the organization. Recipients have ranged in age from 4 to 92.

The Chamber listing puts the total at more than 400 instruments gifted. Clay Today reported the figure at more than 500 instruments given to children in Northeast Florida.

Some recipients have gone on to form bands. The Shopping Mall Guerrillas, a three-piece group at Keystone Heights High School, features guitarist Henry Carter, bassist Matthew Hallowell and drummer Austin Girouard. All three got their first instruments through the program and are preparing to record their first album, Clay Today reported.

"We just want these kids to know something positive," Paul Wane told Clay Today.

Twice a year, the organization invites Rising Stars back to perform live onstage, according to the Chamber listing. At a June 20 event, more than two dozen had confirmed plans to participate.

More November events

Two additional fundraisers support the program this month. A Sunday Funday Toy Run on Nov. 8 starts at 11 a.m. at American Gypsy Tattoo Company, 3275 U.S. Highway 17 in Green Cove Springs. The ride costs $10 per rider with a musical instrument donation, according to the Clay Today calendar.

A Pantry Raid Challenge on Nov. 22 at the Boogerville Hideout, 6043 U.S. Highway 17 in Green Cove Springs, collects non-perishable food for local food banks alongside instrument donations for the Rising Stars program.

Residents interested in the Nov. 15 poker run can register at the organization's Facebook event page. The Wanes can be reached at 352-234-0983 or GuitarsForKidsRS.org.