Ride brings in cash
News
Posted By Hayley Brigg
Posted 1 month ago
There could not have been a better weekend to hold a charity motorcycle ride.
With the sun shining and not a drop of rain in sight, 20 riders jumped on their motorcycles and sped off towards towns across central Manitoba, enjoying the great weather while raising some serious cash for a good cause.
The Winds of Change Charity Motorcycle Ride exceeded expectations by raising an estimated $9,000 for the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities (SMD), with a projected $3,000 in donations still yet to come.
"The ride went awesome. It was full of great people, great weather and great food," said ride organizer Kevin Small. "We've counted up around $9,000 already and thinking about the donations we still have coming in. I'm confident we've managed to raise around $12,000 this year."
Riders took off from Chubb's Restaraunt in Lockport early Saturday morning, travelling on the highway before stopping to camp in Dauphin for the night. The ride resumed Sunday morning and finished off back in Lockport at the Skinner's Restaurant early in the evening.
"There's nothing like going to Skinner's and finishing up a ride with a good, cold ice cream," Small joked.
Before the event, Small hoped this year's fundraiser would raise around $10,000, and now that all of the weekend's totals are coming in, the organizer is more than pleased with the end results.
"That's definitely new ground for us, it's the most we've raised in one year so far," said Small, who started the event back in 2008. "I think that number is very promising for us going forward with this fundraiser."
All the money raised from the event will be donated to the SMD foundation and channelled to the organization's recreation program. It will help finance sporting activities and equipment for those with disabilities. Additionally, $5,000 from the funds raised will be directly given to the SMD's Power Wheelchair Hockey program.
An avid athlete himself, Small believes it's important to give those living with disabilities the opportunity to experience physical activity and the fun of sport just like any other person.
"I have a real appreciation for what the SMD foundation does, because they really help improve the quality of life for these people," said Small. "It's important to me that we are able to help them with that, because everyone deserves to live a quality life."
While on the ride, Small says what was especially noteworthy to him was the generosity of the locals as they passed through their community.
"It was extremely uplifting to me to see that when we made stops in all of these small towns, we received a lot of donations from the people who lived there," said Small. "We'd stop in a bar for a rest and would walk out of there with a bunch of pledges, it was really nice."
Small is already making plans for next year's event, which he says could potentially see riders travelling to southern Manitoba and along the United States boarder.
Anyone interested in making pledges to the SMD foundation via the Winds of Change Motorcycle Ride can contact the fundraiser through their website at www.agriteltransport.com/windsofchange2010.html.
