Cruisers raise $13K for Emily Murphy Centre in Sunday ride

Members of the Southern Cruisers Riding Club (SCRC) of Canada line up behind first officer Randy Zettler of the Stratford chapter and Lisa Wilde, executive director of the Emily Murphy Centre, on June 24. That evening, Zettler presented Wilde with a cheque for $13,840 for the centre’s Tiny Homes … Big Impact fundraiser.

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

With sunny weather, dry roads and a beautiful route, hundreds of motorcycle riders from across the province flocked to Perth County this June for an annual ride for charity.

The result was nothing short of “absolutely amazing,” according to Lisa Wilde, executive director of the Emily Murphy Centre. Through that Sunday ride on June 13, over $13,000 was raised for the centre’s Tiny Homes … Big Impact fundraising campaign.

The campaign is a community-driven initiative with the goal of building five new tiny homes on the centre’s existing land: safe, private and supportive housing that will act just as all of the centre’s spaces do, providing counselling, safety planning, life-skills development and connections to community resources that support women and children who have experienced violence.

Every year the Southern Cruisers Riding Club (SCRC) of Canada hosts a Ride of the Year, which all members are encouraged to attend, raising money for one chosen charity. This year, the Stratford Chapter 726 hosted it.

“It’s picked two years ahead, and we knew two years ago we were getting it,” said Randy Zettler, first officer of the Stratford chapter. “This has been our charity for a number of years now.

“We had 25 chapters … and 245 people,” Zettler continued. “… We had them come from as far as Timmins. We had nine from Timmins, I think 19 from Windsor … it was a really good turnout.”

With a final total of $13,840 raised for the centre, this year’s Ride of the Year total was about on par compared to prior years, Zettler said, just over last year’s $12,000 raised in Barrie.

“We’re close to halfway to our mark,” Wilde told the Times after the donation. “I'm thrilled with that result four weeks after the kickoff, and here we are. I'm more than overjoyed.”

Wilde explained that she met a former member of the Stratford chapter a few years ago and explained what the centre does. After taking it back to the club, she was informed that the centre would be the club’s charity of choice moving forward.

“For many years they have supported us,” Wilde said. “They've done drives at Christmas time and stuff like that, which is incredible. And then Randy showed up at my door last fall and said, ‘Look, we want to do this for you. Is that okay?’ And I went, ‘Are you kidding me? Yes, it's okay!’

“… First of all, riders are the most generous group of people,” she continued. “Any cause is an excuse to get on their bikes and raise money, and so this time, because it's Ontario-wide, he said, ‘Yeah, we're going to go with the Emily Murphy Centre,’ and I was overjoyed … It’s been a long relationship, but this is the biggest, grandest show of their support.”