Attendance way down for Ride for Kids Sake
Big Brothers Sisters team up for ride for local youth
Dressed pretty much head-totoe in leather, it was no secret that Myles Rusak is a biker at heart.
But it took some convincing before the executive director at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Grand Erie bought into the idea of embracing the biker community as way to raise funds for the programs the organization runs.
“No one in my agency knows anything about bikes,” Rusak said. “I ride. I belong to a club. For me, motorcycles are my life.”
Soon after joining the organization two years ago, he started suggesting events like a bike night and a show and shine. But the board members didn’t know what he was talking about, despite representing an organization that includes the biker haven of Port Dover in its jurisdiction.
“When I got the opportunity to introduce that to the chapter, they all looked at me like I was crazy,” he said, laughing.
The board members, however, soon began to understand just how generous motorcycle riders can be – especially when kids are involved.
“We do a thing called Bike Night In Paris. Every two weeks it’s a show and shine. We get about 1,000 people,” Rusak said. “It’s crazy how big that’s gotten.”
Meanwhile, their counterparts at Big Brothers Big Sisters St. Catharines-Thorold and District had embraced the
For the past five years, the local organization has held its Ride for Kids Sake starting at Clare’s Harley Davidson, and thundering through the scenic roads of Niagara.
Last year’s ride ended in Port Dover, “and we went out and we helped,” Rusak said.
“That’s when we started saying, we could be so much stronger together.”
As a result, this year’s Ride for Kids Sake was a team effort, including representatives from both Big Brothers Big Sisters chapters.
In recognition of the partnership, this year’s ride was given a “Turf War” theme, adding a competitive element to the event.
“I’m not trying to be catty, but we’re winning — St. Catharines,” said Marcie Clarkson, the local chapter’s fundraising and business development manager.
Although she conceded that the local chapter had home-ice advantage since the ride began in Niagara-on-the-Lake, she said: “Last year when we went to Port Dover we brought 65 riders there – so ...”
Despite the team approach to this year’s event there were only a few dozen riders participating — substantially few participants than in past years when actors from the HBO biker-themed television series Sons of Anarchy participated in 2014 to 2016.
In addition to the loss of the celebrity draw, threatening clouds early in the day might have contributed to the drop in participation.
Frances Lettieri, the local chapter’s director of services, said the funds raised will be used to help cover the cost of the Game On program – a school-based group mentoring program for boys.
“It’s an amazing program. They talk about things like bullying, peer pressure – all the things that are taking place.”
Lettieri said the more than 200 boys participating in the program are in grades 7 and 8, at an age when those types of topics become more important.
Meanwhile, Lettieri said the event also helps draw attention to the organization in the hope of recruiting more adults willing to become mentors for the growing waiting list of children hoping to participate.
“And men in particular. We’re always trying to target men, because boys are the ones who are waiting the longest.”