We call ourselves a local publication who’s all about building community. And within our community there are some important charities doing good work to make our community stronger. We thought it would be cool to take a break from working on articles for a day and recognize some of them. Sure, articles are great (this one’s so-so). But so is money into the coffers of the not-for-profit organizations here in Grey Bruce Simcoe.
So, that’s what we did this past Saturday. We supported our local charities. And we did it by putting on our leathers and revving our engines.
I figure when you raise money for a charity, it should be doing something you actually enjoy. And the group of us that convened at the Marine & Rail Museum on Saturday morning sure do enjoy riding bikes. Some have been doing it for a long time (looking at you Jeff Woods) and some are newbies (that’d be the chump writing this post).
I’ll say this: as our group of riders cornered a left at Benallen and rode ten strong down the tree-lined Grey Road 17 with the sun shining, a smile crept across my face and I thought ‘if this is raising money, I’ll do it every weekend.’ Well, maybe not every weekend – there was actually a bit of work involved. But definitely every year.
The event: Rrampt Rides For Charity. The purpose: to raise funds. The riders: Jon Cox, Kristan Anderson, Neale Kemp, Mark Hollingsworth, Jeff Woods, Alex Parsons, Kit Redding, CJ Sager, Jesse Wilkinson, and in spirit Rob Elder and Ryan Hollingsworth, who couldn’t make the rain date. See our ride was supposed to take place on May 25, but the weather gods didn’t think we raised enough money, so they decided to give us two more weeks. We rode June 8 instead and raised a few more clams to bring our total to $3410.
The charities we chose were ones close to each of our hearts. Two of us chose CMHA to honour victims of suicide. My ride was dedicated to my late friend Marc Johnson (RIP Dougie). Other charities included OShare, Big Brothers & Sisters, My Friend’s House, Free Dem Dogs, Harmony Centre, Alzheimers and Kidney Foundation.
We rode a thirty kilometer route that led us through Inglis Falls, Owen Sound, Leith and Annan. The ride wouldn’t have been complete without a little engine trouble. One of our riders had the ever so common issue of ‘running out of gas’ in Leith, which afforded a few Collingwood riders the chance to be taken on a side route along Coffin Hill while we waited for a jerry can to arrive (shout out to Tanya).
The ride ended at Parkwood Restaurant for a little lunch and post ride wrap-up. Nothing says charity work like pizza, am I right? We’ve already made plans for next year’s ride, which will be longer and possibly up the peninsula. Regardless of what plan is for next year, it certainly felt like the beginning of an annual thing, one that will bring together a great crew for a common cause: help the community we live in, even if it’s just a small sum.
The goal for next year: raise more money, take a longer route, and get some female riders out!
Keep an eye out for Rrampt Riding for Charity in 2025.
Words by Jesse Wilkinson
Photos by Nelson Phillips
