SEBASTIAN — The 7th Annual Richard Phillips Down Biker Fund (RPDBF) Butterfly Release Memorial will be on Sunday, October 4, 2026, at Earl’s Hideaway Lounge. The event will raise funds to support motorcyclists in Indian River and Brevard Counties who have been impacted by a severe accident.
On the day of the event, they will sell the remaining butterflies starting at 2 p.m. Sales close at 3:30 p.m., when the band takes a break. The release will take place shortly after. The bands performing will be Bella Donna Project and Luna Pearl.
How to pre-purchase a butterfly
Butterflies cost $20 each. Organizers say supplies are limited and are taking pre-orders by Zelle or PayPal at downbikerfund@gmail.com. Anyone who pre-pays should include a name and the number of butterflies being purchased.
The ceremony is simple. Each butterfly is handed out in its own package. When the signal comes, people open the envelopes, say a prayer or a name, and release them.
The fund has already written 77 checks of $500 this year to riders and families facing bills after a motorcycle accident. To qualify, the crash must involve a street-legal motorcycle and either a fatality or at least 24 hours in the hospital.
Richard Phillips Down Biker Fund (RPDBF)
Robin Phillips started the 501(c)(3) nonprofit in April 2017, naming it for her husband, Richard, who was killed Oct. 15, 2012, when a car crossed a median and struck him while he was riding. The check is a one-time payment meant to ease the pressure in the first days after a wreck, when hospital parking, lost work, and funeral costs pile up fast.
Volunteers raise the money and try to reach families within a day or two of a crash.
Details are posted on the Richard Phillips Down Biker Fund Facebook page. You can also reach the group at downbikerfund@gmail.com or 321-412-7647.
