BMXers Show 'Love for Luke'

Members of the Northern California BMX community will come together for the finals of the annual "Love Series" this Sunday in Santa Clara at a fundraiser in honor of , an 8-year-old BMX enthusiast who is battling childhood leukemia.

The effort is also designed to raise awareness and support for pediatric cancer research at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, where Luke is receiving treatment.

The event runs 11 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Santa Clara Police Activities League BMX track, 5451 Lafayette St.

“This event is a wonderful example of a community coming together around a great cause and showing love for one of their own,” said Luke’s father, Fergal O’Moore in a written statement. “Luke and his brother are thrilled to combine their love for BMX racing with an opportunity to raise money to help other children overcome cancer.”

The five-race series has included games in Napa (North Bay BMX), Roseville (Oak Creek BMX), Manteca (Spreckles Park BMX), Prunedale (Manzanita Park BMX) and the finals on Sunday.

The event is free and open to the public.

Luke and his brother, Cian, will open the festivities with a ceremonial flag lap. There will also be live performances by Bay Area bands Oddly Even and Orangutang, and an exhibition race featuring some of California’s top professional racers.

The brothers will be raising money for their charity Luke’s Lemons, which supports leukemia research. The public will have a chance to donate money or purchase raffle tickets or commemorative T-shirts and merchandise. All proceeds will benefit cancer research at Packard Children’s. Donations may also be made online by clicking here.

Since Luke's acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosis in July of 2011, he has spent time in the hospital varying from days to weeks at a time, according to Fergal O'Moore.

He'll be going through years of chemotherapy, but his prognosis is good in large part due to advances in medicine over the last few decades, he explained.

Event sponsors include West Side BMX, Monkeybars, LDC BMX, VSI/Intense BMX, Go Big Graphix, Troy Lee Designs, Fly Racing, Jump Sport, Hyper Bicycles, Felt Bikes, Tangent Products, Anderson’s 209 BMX, Bandit Racing of Dublin, Calabazas Cyclery, 7 Star Bar & Grill, Nick Gianinni, Allied Exhaust, Jump2Jump, Powerhouse Sales and Marketing, and RJ Bean Roofing.