Hamsters USA 2021 Post Event Press Release

Hamsters USA raise $538,252 for special kids
at LifeScape in Rapid City, South Dakota

For immediate release: Hamsters USA, the international motorcycle group with big hearts, roared into
western South Dakota to make an unparalleled impact for local kids with disabilities! These amazing guys came
together to raise funds for LifeScape of Rapid City totaling an unprecedented $538,252, all staying local to
support children with disabilities in western SD!
Hamsters USA has raised and donated funds at their annual meeting for the last 16 years, with a deep desire to
give back to the greater Black Hills community, which many Hamsters consider their second home. Their gifts
help provide services to children in their Black Hills area homes and communities, delivered by LifeScape
personnel who drive over 10,000 miles a month to provide services. Inspired by little Ruby Lehmann, who spoke
on stage with her mom, Shannon, and her brother, David, the Hamsters stepped up to do more than ever before!
Hamsters stormed the stage to give cash and credit card pledges, which were matched by John McCarthy and
Bobby Garone. That piece of the presentation raised approximately $204,000 alone!
At only nine months of age, Ruby was diagnosed with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy after her parents noticed she
wasn’t meeting typical milestones, such as rolling over and sitting up on her own. Doctors believe Ruby had a
stroke in utero early in her development, which prevented part of her brain from fully forming. It affected three-
fourths of her body – her entire left side and her right leg. Ruby started physical and occupational therapy at 10
months, and at the age of three, began speech therapy, primarily for a “funky gag reflex.” She had braces on her
feet and began receiving additional therapies through LifeScape. RISE Custom Solutions, a subsidiary of
LifeScape, fitted her for a reverse walker and wheelchair when she outgrew the hospital walker.
Ruby now receives physical and occupational therapies at school, as well as through LifeScape. She is a very
determined young lady, proving doctors wrong and surpassing all expectations. She is extremely smart and very
artistic. She also thinks very literally, so a vivid imagination is not as evident, but she is very vocal and
opinionated. Ruby plans to start dance in just a few weeks and enjoys horse-riding therapy and water therapy. She
has received Botox injections into her tight muscles to help with her gait, and it has made a difference.
LifeScape’s mission is to empower children with disabilities to lead fulfilling lives. Ruby’s mom is so grateful that
LifeScape is here for Ruby, and she is also so grateful for donors, like the Hamsters, that come together to make
sure the high-quality services provided by LifeScape are available to families like theirs. Strong-willed and
extremely determined, Ruby wants to be a doctor when she grows up. Her mom, Shannon, says “I will do anything
and everything possible to make sure she is the best she can be.” (See attached photo – )
Jessica Wells, President of the LifeScape Foundation, added, “We are just completely blown away by these
incredible men. They amaze us year after year, and this year is even more exceptional. We are so grateful for 16
years of commitment and caring from this very special group of gentlemen. Their love of the Black Hills of South
Dakota and the local children they support shows through in the incredible dollars they raise and the heartfelt
sentiments they share. These guys warm our hearts every year – our services would look very different were it not
for them.”

LifeScape of Rapid City, SD, is affiliated with LifeScape, based in South Dakota. LifeScape is a private, independent, non-profit organization
with a mission to empower children and adults with disabilities to lead fulfilling lives. LifeScape, as a whole, holds the longest continuous

CQL (Council on Quality Leadership) accreditation of any agency of our type in the world. We are the only private Intermediate Care
Facility in SD and the only agency of our kind in the state of SD serving children and adults across their lifespan. LifeScape has 42+
locations in Sioux Falls, as well as locations in Rapid City and Sioux City, through which we support people in 63 counties in SD and
northwest Iowa. LifeScape supports more than 4,000 children and adults annually, 900 of which are supported by the Rapid City

LifeScape location.