BISMARCK, N.D. — They may look tough, burly and mean, but some bikers in North Dakota are shedding that image for charity. They're dropping their gruff exteriors for a tongue-in-cheek pinup calendar that's quite unusual.
"It started off as a joke or as a challenge to see if I could even get anyone to do it. But I have always kind of wanted to do some kind of spoof calendar," said creator Beth Nielson.
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What started off as a joke became a way to give back to the community. Nielson, along with six biker clubs, created a calendar that showed a more vulnerable side of bikers. From January all the way through December, these bikers expose it all. And 100 percent of the proceeds go directly to the Heaven's Helpers Soup Kitchen.
"They get so misjudged a lot of the times because, like every other group in the world, there is a bad apple in every bunch. And unfortunately, that bad apple tends to stick out and these guys just wanted to put a group together just to show that they do support the community and they want the community to see how important they feel places like Heaven's Helpers," Nielson told KXMB.
Bikers like Brett Behm did not hesitate at the opportunity, but he admits it was a little hard getting into character.
"We are not gangs. That's the biggest thing is that: we are not gangs. We are just a group of guys that like to get together and have fun and support the community," said Behm. "I was nervous a little when I started. The wife and Beth both went and kind of coaxed me into a few poses and stuff."
"They all had a blast, though. I mean if you look at all of them there is no one there that did not want to be doing it. Once they got into it and realized what I was after, they were 110 percent, and the pictures are proof of it," said Nielson.
The project also allowed for all biker clubs to come together, which doesn't happen very often. They hope the calendar changes the way people look at bikers.
"If you get to know us, we are big huge Teddy bears," said Behm.
Nielson said she's already had to order a new batch of calendars after just one week. If you want one, check out the "The Not So Heavenly Bodies 2020 Calendar Fundraiser" page on Facebook.