What do you get when you have 200 riders, over $10,000 fundraised, and one great cause: the fourth annual Ride for Dad Lakeland chapter.
On Saturday, June 16, motorcycle riders from across the Lakeland and beyond strapped on their helmets and hit the highway for the fourth annual Lakeland Ride for Dad.
Travelling over 250 kilometres, participants had time to consider the cause: finding a cure for prostate cancer.
“Prostate cancer has become the number one killer among men and the most diagnosed cancer among men, and we have to do something about it,” explained organizer Jan Stewart.
Ride for Dad is an event that takes place across the province to raise awareness and money for finding a cure for prostate cancer.
The local chapter wanted to make the message loud and clear, which is why they invited the fire department and RCMP to tag along.
Stewart said it was to bring “even more awareness to the public about what we’re all about.”
Participant Lawson Squire has lost someone to prostate cancer, his uncle.
This year’s top fundraiser described the event as a “great cause.”
Squire’s $1,2000 contributed to the overall unofficial $10,000 raised.
“We have more sponsorship than we did last year. The more we get out and into the public, the more they want to be a part of it,” Stewart noted.
Planning ahead, they want to see the event grow even more.
This year, riders started their journey in Ardmore, travelling as far south as Heinsberg, before making the trek back up north to Cold Lake.
The loop is just a piece of what could come, Stewart said, if they could get more communities in the Lakeland on board.
He added, “Our goal now, is to grow it from just the northeast and to head south, because the Lakeland is a huge trapezoid. We have to get into more areas.”
As one of the founders of the local ride, and member of the Lakeland Drifters, Ernie Laney is proud to see the event continue to succeed.
The Lakeand Drifters brought Ride for Dad to the area four years ago, because they were tired of travelling to Edmonton to participate in the event.
“I would like it to keep going, for the event to keep growing, and for more people to take part,” Laney expressed.
Stewart said if it weren’t for the volunteers, fire department, RCMP, and community support, there’s no way they would be able to host the local ride.
“It’s tremendous the amount of work people put into this.”
