Not your typical biker dudes

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net Several members of the biker club known as "AlternativeMC" leave the Naples, FL hotel where their 2015 national convention was held.

The roar of Harley bikes is a sound that can't be ignored, especially when it's accompanied by the sight of men clad in black leather jackets, sporting strange logos.

Commonly suspected of being "Hell's Angels-types," these riders often inspire fear and mistrust; however, nothing could be farther from the truth for a group of bikers known as "Alternative MC."

This motorcycle club recently held its national convention in Naples, FL, where this reporter caught up with them over breakfast at the hotel where the convention was held.

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net The bikers gather in two's and three's to say goodbye, as they leave Naples for their own hometowns across the country.

"We're all Clean and Sober," says a long-haired biker nicknamed "Nuts," who explains that all members are known by their nicknames. This particular biker got his nickname, because he kept losing pieces off his bike.

"All of us are former addicts, who have chosen an alternative lifestyle," Nuts explains.

The club practices the 12 step program; in fact, their motto is "12 Steps on 2 Wheels."

MADELINEDEJOURNETTadvancensc@sbcglobal.net The biker known as "Link" takes a moment to talk to the NSC reporter, before going back to his home in St. Petersburg, FL. Link is the chaplain for AlternativeMC.

Nuts and another biker named Bubba explain how this group of bikers differs from most clubs.

"We're all about helping others," says Nuts. "We raise money for kids and for people who need our help."

One of the club's current projects is to raise funds for a biker who is paralyzed. The group found out about a suit that enables the biker to stand by himself. He is currently undergoing the training to use such a suit whenever it becomes available.

The family-oriented biker's club was formed in 1994 as an offshoot of another Clean and Sober group. The members come from different states around the country.

Though the rough-looking group appeared in sharp contrast to the golf crowd who frequent the hotel, Nuts explains that many of the bikers are, in fact, also golfers.

"We have member from all sorts of professions," Nuts says. "One of our guys just recently passed the bar exam to become a lawyer."

The chaplain of the group explains that his name--Link--refers to his connection to God.

"I'm the link between the bikers and a higher power," says the seasoned man of God.

Link, who is from St. Petersburg, FL, explains that he is a single father, raising a daughter who is an honor student.

"When my daughter was small, she said she would like to go see the West," Link explains. "I started saving coins and two-dollar bills, and last year, when she was a senior in high school, we had enough to take a trip out West. We camped out in tents for three weeks."

The bikers become emotional, when they give testimony on how belonging to the group has helped them.

"We're not judgmental. We're just here to help a brother, if he needs to make a new start in life," Bubba says. "And, if you're with us, you couldn't ask for better protection."

The group has a website at www.alternativemc.com.