Stephen Murray Benefit Hosted By Lakin Brothers

Sep 05 2007 / Riverside, CA

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Brothers Rick and Mike Lakin know how to throw a party.  That was clear on Saturday (July 14) as they held a benefit at their Riverside, CA home for Stephen Murray, the pro BMX rider who was critically injured at the AST Dew Tour’s first stop in Baltimore, MD on June 22, 2007.

This was the third in a series of Murray benefits organized in Southern California where Murray’s professional BMX colleagues and friends are turning out to both raise money for the Murray family along with showing support for their injured brother.

Several hundred people came and went throughout the afternoon and into the evening at the Lakin home in Riverside.  It was the perfect backdrop for such an event.  While many homes reflect their owner's interests, the Lakins have more than a big-screen TV or home gym -- they have a pro-level BMX dirt course in their front yard.

PHOTO GALLERIES    Check out photos from the Lakin Brothers Stephen Murray Benefit, featuring pros like Cory Nastazio, TJ Ellis, Dave Dillewaard, Corey Bohan and more. View Gallery>

It was another great turnout from the tight-knit BMX community.  In attendance were Corey Bohan; Luke Parslow; Cory “Nasty” Nastazio; Dave Dillewaard; Corey Walters; TJ Ellis; Jed Mildon; Nikki Buckaie; Carter Holland, Black Market Bikes founder; Shane Guillen of The Compound; Matt Taylor from FUEL TV; Ricky Ratt of DirectBMX; Jeremy Pavia from BMX Plus and many others.

Also on hand were Stephen's sons, Seth and Mason, along with Stephen's sister-in-law Marlena, who is currently taking care of them, and Stephen's mother-in-law Monika Giles-Freking, and her husband.   Even Stephen's dogs, Jodi and Cassie, were there.

The BMX Pros all pushed hard to put on a great show for Murray’s friends and fans.  While the overall atmosphere was light and fun, with Murray’s friends and fans mixing it up with the pros as a steady sound track of hip-hop music played, there was something missing.  No one said it, but clearly it was Murray himself. 

“I get goose bumps thinking about it.  In fact right now 50% of me wants to quit, 50% of me wants to keep going,”  Nastazio said when asked about Murray's accident,

Bohan, who has been at all three of the Murray benefits, said one of the reasons he was there was, “I would want people to ride for me.”

The Lakin brothers decided they wanted to help and throw some type of benefit for Stephen Murray right after he got hurt.  They made fliers, made calls to Murray’s friends and reached out to riders to spread the word about the fund raiser.  Mike said their goal was to “help a friend in need.”  Rick added, “something like this is great for Stephen’s spirit.”

It was a warm afternoon in Riverside with the temperature in the high 90’s.  The dirt course was hosed down regularly to keep the dust down.  The course was about half of a football field long -- 50 yards and riders were going almost non-stop with media outlets like FUEL TV and BMX Plus shooting the action.

The two previous fund raisers took place at The Compound in Perris, CA on July 4th and July 7th.

Nastazio said there will be more of these benefits going off throughout the year. 

“We do not want people to forget what happened to Stephen,” he said.

All money made from this Stephen Murray Benefit goes directly to the Stephen Murray Family Fund.  Also, look for an official Stephen Murray t-shirt that is being created and will be sold starting in a week or two as a way to contribute.

Keep up with all the updates re: Stephen on our Stephen Murray update page and visit www.stephenmurrayfamilyfund.com to donate to help Stephen and his family.