Chapter 9 - Our Story
The founding members of Chapter IX are comprised of Officers and Civilians from Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Since 2005, when the first Officer from Delaware rode with Chapter 1, the group has grown steadily in numbers. In 2011 the group was joined by a large contingency from the Howard County Police Department in Maryland, and topped off at 51 group members!
Chapter 9's formation is a product of many factors, the most important being it's members love and respect for what the Tour does and what it represents.
We have witnessed the exponential growth of the tour, which is a good thing! More members means we can be better at accomplishing our Mission Statement. However, growth can have a downside. Every year officers have to be declined participation due to limited slots on the four existing Tour Routes.
Realizing that the Tour could not continue to grow without a new Route being formed, and wanting to give back to an organization which has given so much to us, our group decided to "step up to the plate" and take on the task of forming another Route.
The founder of the Tour, Pat Montuore, and the CEO, Harry Phillips, seeing our dedication to the Tour and what it stands for, have allowed our group to seek Chapter Status. Chapter Status is an Honor and a responsibility not to be taken lightly. It is also something that is rarely granted.
We had an incredible 'Inaugural Ride" in 2012 thanks to our many dedicated returning members and our awesome new members! We received very positive feedback and we are excited about our years to come.
We will definitely be growing and will cap our numbers at 130 for 2013. We will take 100 riders and the remaining slots will be utilized for support.
