MARIETTA - Motorcycle riders are revving up for the ninth annual Ride for Freedom on Sunday to benefit the United Service Organizations of Georgia.

Registration for the event is from noon to 1:45 p.m. Motorcycles riders will depart at 2 p.m. from Earl Small's Harley-Davidson dealership at 993 South Cobb Drive in Marietta. The cost is $30 per motorcycle.

Founded in 1941, the USO is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support U.S. troops. The USO of Georgia is operated by the USO Council of Georgia Inc. and says it assists over 400,000 individuals annually.

About 600 soldiers, Marines, Air Force and Navy personnel arrive and depart Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta daily on their way to and from Iraq. Each day, the USO is there to lend a helping hand of support. It's also been at deployments at Dobbins Air Reserve Base and the former Naval Air Station Atlanta in Marietta.

Volunteers present phone cards, care packages, food and refreshments, said Mary Lou Austin, president of the USO of Georgia.

Austin said the annual Ride for Freedom is an important fundraiser to help the organization continue to support our troops.

"It provides for the resources for the men and women who are serving our country," she said. Austin said there is now a greater need for donations because of the sluggish economy.

Participating in this year's ride, as she has since it began, will be 75-year-old Bettie Southern of Marietta. She'll be riding her 1988 Harley-Davidson FLHTC motorcycle. Southern, a retired construction office worker, began motorcycle riding after her husband, Harold, died in 1990.

"It's the freedom," Southern explained about why she rides. "And that's why we need to back the USO because they back our boys and girls."

Riding beside Southern in her Harley-Davidson's sidecar will likely be syndicated columnist Dick Yarbrough. "I'll do my best not to scare him," Southern said.

Yarbrough said, "Bob Fremin of the Marietta Harley Owners Group (HOGS) has said if I would participate, I could sit in a sidecar and do nothing. That sounded like an offer too good to turn down. I've never sat in a motorcycle sidecar and I excel at doing nothing."

All kidding aside, Yarbrough said he wanted to help the USO. He has been a big supporter of the organization over the years.

"The USO of Georgia is usually the first group our men and women of the military see upon their arrival to Hartsfield-Jackson and the last they see when they depart for places like Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "The volunteers treat them like the heroes they are. Their facilities are outstanding as are their volunteers. They represent the best of America."

Army National Guard Staff Sgt. David Nisenson, 45, of Smyrna and Sgt. First Class Shannon Richardson, 39, of Douglasville, of the Marietta-based 138th Chemical Company, are the type of people the USO aims to help. Both men served in Iraq and said they benefited from the aid of the USO.

"Everything that they do for soldiers, here and abroad, we come out and support the USO at every chance we get," Richardson said.

USO representatives well be at the event to answer questions about USO activities in Georgia.

There were about 160 motorcycles in last year's ride. Organizers hope to have 200 involved this year. A dog tag commemorating the ninth annual ride will be given to the first 225 motorcycles to register. Refreshments will be served before the ride starts.

The destination of the police escorted, motorcycle ride is Hooters at 2102 Old Highway 41 in Kennesaw. Door prizes will be presented at the restaurant. For details, call Jamie Landers of Earl Small's Harley-Davidson at (770) 919-0000.

Donations to the USO of Georgia may be sent to the Jean R. Amos USO Center, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, #320 Terminal Airport, P.O. Box 20963, Atlanta, GA 30320 or online at www.usogeorgia.org.