Pandemic causes Ride for Autism to switch gears into medallion Road Tour for Aug. 2
FOX 2 - A favorite summertime cause by motorcycle enthusiasts has been the Ride for Autism. However, this year the bikes will fall silent - as COVID-19 claims yet another charitable event.
"The ride will continue no matter what," said Sal Ferra.
Ferra is the president of Ride for Autism of Michigan and is still determined to do something.
"This is our 16th year and I don't see it going away anytime soon," he said.
So it is going to look a little different this year. The 60-mile bike ride with hundreds of riders won't happen, but there will still be a ride - sort of.
"We're taking the ride to the kids - so they will meet us at each checkpoint and we will have a medallion ceremony at each checkpoint," Ferra said.
The medallion ceremony is a special part of the event every year. Ride Ambassador Rachel Adams presents kids and even adults with autism with a Ride for Autism medal. Here is how she described it in the past.
"We present them with a medallion and everybody claps for them, and we really try to highlight them to give them a day to look forward to every year where they are the center of attention," Adams said.
For this year's ride, they will still be the center of attention. Rachel, Amy Lange, and our ride mascot -Amy's dog Marco, and some special guests, will take a party bus donated by Rockstarz Limo to deliver the medallions.
They are calling it The Ride for Autism 2020 Road Tour on Sunday, August 2. They will be meeting the kids at the Southfield Library, then the Northville Township Fire Department, then Motown Harley Davidson in Taylor.
"People can RSVP on the Ride's Facebook page. Even though they have lost the donations from the riders, they are hoping people will spend $30 to sponsor a child. The money will go toward their Christmas and Easter parties celebrating the children and the families, living with autism.
"The numbers have really grown a lot," Ferra said. "So this is one way that we give back to those families. Bikers are a unique group of people and when it comes to kids - you're not going to find anybody better than the bikers to help."
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