MOOSEHEART, IL -  Scott Hardwick is a full-grown man, and to see him in his leather jacket and other motorcycle riding gear is to see a person who exudes toughness.

But Hardwick, the president of the Nitro, WV Lodge 565 Moose Riders Club, was reduced to voice-stopping tears when he described his experience at Sunday's Fourth Annual Blessing of the Bikes at Mooseheart.

"It's amazing," Hardwick said, his voice cracking. "The kids - I feel good knowing that what I do helps kids. That's what it's about for us. We were doing our ride and when we first say those kids..."

At that point, Hardwick needed to stop talking as the emotions of the day overwhelmed him.

In a way, the feeling's felt so deeply by Hardwick were multiplied many times in the crowd gathered at the Ohio Pavilion on campus during the day's activities.

"It's really neat to talk to members who are here for the first time on campus," Mooseheart Executive Director Scott Hart said. "The first experience at Mooseheart is something special and something that gives roots to why people are Moose members. It rekindles the flame. Our theme this year was 'Pass it On' and these people who saw Mooseheart and the residents of the Child City can go home and pass their experiences on to others."

The actions taken by Hardwick and 215 motorcycle enthusiasts are something that will bring many smiles in the days and weeks to come.

The final tally showed that 160 motorcycles and 215 total riders attended the event. This was a quantum leap from the previous-best of 60 bikes at the 2006 Blessing.

"The folks were wonderful and really enthusiastic and generous," event organizer Chris Ecker said. "I think that in the future, this might be a good way to get folks re-energized about their state's support of the homes that are named after them."

And a massive sum of money was raised for the event. Donations from Moose Lodges and various sponsors raised $8,000 before the event began, which covered all the day's expenses. A combination of entry fees, a 50-50 raffle and other donations boosted the profit on the event to $3,700.

That money will be evenly-split between the Mooseheart Lodge 2655 and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"I think we accomplished our goal,"  Hart said. "We raised funds for Mooseheart and St. Jude and we raised awareness of Mooseheart in the community. I label this as one of those great feel-good events of the year. People came to our campus and walked away with a message of hope for what Mooseheart gives for kids."

Hardwick and the half-dozen riders from Nitro came the farthest. But riders also participated from Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri and from lodges throughout Illinois.

For the Nitro riders, Sunday's event marked the first time any had visited Mooseheart.

"We've all been waiting for the right opportunity to come to Mooseheart," Hardwick said. "We're all about riding bikes and we're a motorcycle club and this is what we enjoy. It was a good opportunity for us to come out."

Motorcycles first arrived at the football stadium at 9 a.m. on Sunday. They gathered and mingled through 11:30, when the ride to the House of God began. The blessing, in which Mooseheart Rev. Tom Riemenschneider wished all in attendance a safe riding season, took place at 11:45. All riders, their guests and the Mooseheart student population ate lunch together after the blessing.

Riders began leaving at that point. But talk already turned toward 2008 and next year's Blessing of the Bikes. The Nitro riders all plan to return, and they figure to have more company.

"This isn't my last year here," Hardwick said. "We'll be here from here on out. A lot of people ask me back home what this is all about, being a Moose and being a Moose Rider. Now I've got something to tell them."

Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank. In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually. Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.Mooseintl.org and www.Mooseheart.org or call 630-966-2229.