A poker run being held Saturday is being dedicated to a young Wirt County, W.Va., Marine who lost most of his leg while serving in Afghanistan.
Caleb Childers, 20, lost his left leg from the knee down on June 30 when an improvised explosive device on a staircase was triggered.
His mother, Wanda Childers, said he is currently at the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Va., where he is learning how to use a prosthetic leg.
"He's doing awesome," said Childers, of Elizabeth, W.Va.
The poker run that is being dedicated to Caleb Childers is being organized by the Marietta Valley Riders, a group that typically uses its proceeds to send boxes to troops overseas. They'll do the same following this year's event.
"Generally our proceeds go to service men overseas," said Mike DeVaughn, public relations officer with the Valley Riders. "What we've done in the past is we've donated money and bought things that service men overseas need and we take the stuff to the Williamstown American Legion (Post 159) and they'll box it up and ship it for us."
"It's always for a good cause and we have a lot of fun doing it," he added.
Childers said she thought of the idea to dedicate the poker run to her son was "awesome."
The Childers family isn't financially benefiting from Saturday's run but Caleb Childers' name will be on the T-shirt being distributed to participants, said DeVaughn.
"We've been selling T-shirts in advance for $20 and if you get the T-shirt you've already paid for the poker run," DeVaughn said.
Registration for Saturday's poker run begins at 10 a.m. at No Idea Sports Dining inside the Comfort Inn on Pike Street in Marietta, with the last bike out at 1 p.m. It will also end at No Idea Sports Dining, with the last bike in at 5 p.m.
He said the route will be about 100 miles.
"A poker run goes on as little four-lane road as possible," he said. "We don't go on gravel roads. We try to go on back state routes for the most part."
DeVaughn said there will be prizes for first, second and "worst." He said there will also be a raffle and door prizes.
Although Caleb Childers won't be there, his mom said he feels honored that the event is being dedicated to him.
"We've had our ups and downs but his attitude has kept us all pulled together," she said.
Childers noted that Caleb's tentative release date from the hospital is Oct. 31.
Donations for the family can be made at WesBanco in Mineral Wells.
