Ridin' for Kids

Today on Bring Back The Porch Heather McCaig discusses the inspiring story of Ridin' for Kids Foundation, highlighting its growth, community impact, and how it raises funds to support children with unique medical needs. Discover how a small community effort turned into a nationwide movement that changes lives.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Heather McCaig and Ridin' for Kids
01:06 The Origins of Ridin' for Kids and Its Growth
02:22 First Beneficiary and Medical Support for Children
03:07 Maintaining Relationships with Beneficiaries
04:25 Growth in Rider Participation and Community Support
05:46 Fundraising Methods and Community Contributions
06:07 Record-Breaking Fundraising Total of $118,613
08:16 Supporting a Young Boy with Mobility Equipment
09:19 Memorable Moments and Personal Impact
10:00 Selecting Beneficiaries and Ride Route Details
11:07 Ride Date and Community Engagement
12:11 Expansion to Edmonton and Supporting Other Families
13:01 Merchandise and Branding of Ridin' for Kids
14:05 Closing Remarks and Future Goals


Ridin' for Kids is a grassroots initiative, started by motorcycle enthusiasts, it has grown exponentially, capturing the spirit of community support. We’ll explore the foundation's journey, its impact on children with unique medical needs, and why it matters for everyone involved.

The Ridin' for Kids Foundation was born out of a heartfelt desire to help children in need. Six years ago, Ivan Reimer, along with a team of passionate individuals, launched this initiative after recognizing the challenges faced by families with children suffering from rare diseases. The first benefactor was a young boy named Keilan, who was fighting VHL disease, a condition that leads to tumor growth in the body. The foundation’s efforts helped raise funds for his treatment, and since then, it has continued to grow, now registered as a charitable organization.

The foundation organizes annual charity motorcycle rides, where participants come together to raise funds. Local businesses, community members, and even children contribute to the cause, showcasing that it truly takes a village to support those in need. In the latest charity ride, the foundation raised an astounding $118,613.40 in just three months, underscoring the generosity of the community, even amidst economic challenges. Fundraising is a collective effort, with various activities contributing to the cause. From pancake breakfasts sponsored by local hotels to live auctions featuring unique items, every dollar raised counts. 

The stories of the children who benefit from the Ridin' for Kids Foundation are nothing short of inspirational. For instance, this year’s benefactor, four-year-old Emerson Wikkerink, will receive motorized legs to aid his mobility and motor skills. These devices are crucial for children with similar conditions, helping prevent muscle atrophy and enhancing their quality of life. Hearing updates from previous beneficiaries, like Keilan, who is now thriving, reinforces the foundation's impact and motivates ongoing support.

Ridin' for Kids stands as a testament to what can be achieved when a community comes together for a common cause. The heartwarming stories of children who benefit from the foundation’s work remind us of the importance of compassion and support in our society.

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Transcript

0:00

Hey, this is Brian again, and I'd like to ask you to do a favor. We can't do this work without people like you. So if you can, please like, share, subscribe, tell your friends about bring back the porch. it's interesting because we have little kids. We had kids in Bow Island that were selling bracelets, and we had kids that came out a couple other years doing different things, and they just wanted to contribute. So it's so nice to see that that we're getting that understanding of. It takes a village to help people. And everybody from young kids to our seniors are understanding that, you know, everybody can do something small to help out. And that's kind of the way this runs, This episode of bring back the porch. Brought to you by medicine at Monumental Crafting Quality Memorials of Distinction since 1970. Heather McCaig joins us for this episode of Bring Back the Porch to talk about the Ridin’for Kids Foundation. Yes. Now, this is something that started six years ago involving some motorcycle enthusiasts, for sure. It has grown phenomenally. It has. So this was the idea of a gentleman named Ivan Reimer. So Ivan had started with a friend of his. Their child had a very unique kind of disease, and he had reached out once he started getting his event plan to me and said, hey, will you help me with this? And so I've been on board for all six years, and Ivan's dream has just kind of flourished. So we've grown every single year. This is the first year we became a really big kind of foundation. So we actually have charitable status now, and donors can get those charity receipts, that kind of thing. And it just has bloomed. And we've been able to help six children with very unique diseases over the years. And we yeah, it's just phenomenal. Now when you go back to the beginning. Did you ever in your wildest imagination think it would be where it is today? I never imagined we'd be able to raise as much money as we had. I mean, I've even has massive dreams of of expanding to other cities, which we've been able to do and just kind of growing this across Canada and with people in the motorcycle community having the kinds of hearts that they do, if they have half the heart, he does this will this will continue to grow for sure. So in the first year, who was the benefactor? So we had a gentleman, a student from Crescent High School named Keelan Keelan. Yeah. And he had a disease called VHL disease. And yeah. And it causes tumors to grow in your body, kind of like little cancerous tumor. So he's been fighting that his whole life, and he needed to get on his special treatment in Calgary. And this helped the family get money because of course Medicine Hat doesn't have facilities for a lot of these children. So they go back and forth to get medical in other cities. And this helped that family. And he's doing very, very well. He's an adult now. Things have stabilized. Last report from his mom. And yeah, we're very, very happy that that we were able to help them out. Does the foundation or the group keep in touch with the people who benefit from your work? Very much so. Ivan is in contact with them constantly. A lot of us know the kids. We get to develop a bit of a relationship, and then we have other kids who are old enough that they can kind of give us reports. So we have one young lady named Abby who has a horrible pain disorder, and she will write us reports that we then post on our Facebook page so people can come to the writing for kids Facebook page, see the different children that we've helped. And then Ivan will write reports or the kids do reports every once in a while that we will post as well over, over time. So in a sense it becomes an expanded family. It is 100% and we are there if if any of those families were to reach out and say, hey, we need help with X, you know, we would be there physically to help them. We would do what we can for sure. Yeah, yeah. How many riders do you remember in that first effort? Well, the first year it was it was small. I would say we had under 100 for sure. But, you know, a very dedicated group. We still had a little kind of mini silent auction going. And it was held out in the campground in Irvine. The final, the final end of the run. And now we've graduated to days off pub. They've been a major sponsor for us every single year, and we had well over 200 riders. They come from Edmonton, they come from Saskatchewan, they're coming from all over the place to join us in this event. So it's amazing. Riders have big hearts. They do very much. So. The Medicine Hat motorcycle community and our community in general is so amazing. Yeah, yeah. Most recently, the one that people would be fresh at the top of their mind was a little boy, a four year old boy in Ireland. Yes, yes. The amount that you raised in about three months. Mind blowing. Unbelievable. So we we just we're always shocked by the amount of donations that come in from people, the types of donations. So we we earn the money through a variety of things. So we have a charity run the day of the event. We also have like people can can look at potentially getting a smoker like they donate at lunch to pay for lunch. It's all done by nations. So we don't have it's $5. People will give $50 to have breakfast like it's so amazing. The Urban Hotel always helps us with the pancake breakfast as well. And then we do a silent auction at night, and then we do a live auction now too, because we've gotten things like quilts and big fire pits and a recliner rocker chair this year and all these really unique things. There was a gentleman named Albert Niemann that made a desk, and Marina Cole has often donated a chainsaw carving and some of those really unique things that you can't get other places. So, yeah, our community and our donors have just stepped up. And of course, we have a really dedicated group of volunteers that go and solicit from these donors. So it's so nice that everybody's willing to participate that way. This year, the fundraising total was$118,613.40. Amazing. Mind blowing. Absolutely mind blowing. I saw on your social media one post of a young boy who drew a little postcard and made a little ornament, I guess, for your auction. Yes. And we it's interesting because we have little kids. We had kids in Bow Island that were selling bracelets, and we had kids that came out a couple other years doing different things, and they just wanted to contribute. So it's so nice to see that that we're getting that understanding of. It takes a village to help people. And everybody from young kids to our seniors are understanding that, you know, everybody can do something small to help out. And that's kind of the way this runs, for sure. What strikes me is that in this economy, with inflation and the way things are, people without jobs, that you're able to raise that amount of money in a short period of time, 100%. Yeah. It totally. And we I mean, we couldn't do it if our community didn't help. You know, so we have businesses that step up like Badlands Harley-Davidson has allowed us to to host our check presentation there. They did a a swap meet for us earlier in the year and donated a bunch of the things. We had anonymous donors that gave money, like I sat next to a lady while we were doing some work the day of and I left to go get something, came back and she had left to check with my friend that was helping me do things, and she just randomly came down like it just it made me cry, right? And then somebody else dropped off another huge check. And then the Motor Dealers Association just gave us some some money as well. So, you know, every tiny little bit helps. And if, if you can only afford $5 and you give $5 with our charities and the way they work in Medicine Hat and the way this one works and other ones I'm involved in, like we make your dollar go so far to help these people and everything is so appreciated. Now the benefactor this year was a four year old boy. I believe his name was Emerson. Yeah, out in Bow Island. Yes. Some special equipment to help him, I guess, with his mobility. Yeah. So he's going to be getting a set of motorized lakes to help him walk and to help him with his motor skills and that kind of thing. It keeps, you know, your muscles from atrophying and and that kind of thing when you can't use them. So the family is so excited and this is going to allow them to do that. And while the adjustments and things you have to have with those things, they're not a one and done sort of, sort of thing, especially with a growing little boy. So yeah, so excited for that family. Is there a special memory you have over the six years they've been doing this? Now I'm sure more than one. But the things like you say that have hit your heart. Yeah. It's always, you know, when you when you get to meet the kids for the first time and you, you know that you're changing their lives, right. And to be able to be a part of something that you you can you can put your heart into it. I don't have a ton of money that I can give, but I can give time. I can give my heart, I can give all of those kind of things. And you know when you can do that? And you see, like the one little boy. Well, even our first kid. Right. And I got to teach him at school. I get to see now that he's thriving as an adult, and that helped him survive and get the treatments he needed to move forward. Right. So some of our kids have cancer, some of our kids have these other things, and you just hope and pray that no matter what it is, this will help improve quality of life for those families. And and we keep hearing back again and again that it is and it has. And that's what it's all about. So that's the real payoff is what it is in your heart. Yeah, yeah. For me, it's all about the altruism and the the give what you can and give back to such an amazing community that we have. How do you select the benefactor. So we we often have people that will come and say, hey, you should look at this family. You should look at that family. So we get we get input from often our school divisions. Different Make-A-Wish Foundation has talked to us, that kind of thing. So people just kind of let us know. And then our board looks at the kids that have come in that way, and then we make decisions from there. Okay. Now the ride, the root issue. It was quite a long one. It's always about that length. So the route typically will go into Bull Island in some way, shape or form. Go out to Hays Campground for lunch and then it circles around. So we've had it to go to Tilley. We've had it go to Redcliffe. It all kind of depends on who's who's helping us with the the stops for the run. So it's always going to be about that length. But if people can't go the whole time, we've often had them come out and say, I can only do two legs of it. Okay, let's pull your card. Do it now. I keep the card and I make sure it gets put into the the game counting at the end. So yeah, even if you can't make the whole thing any little part of it, you're always welcome to attend. And it's on Father's Day. Is that for a reason? It's on Father's Day weekend. Yeah. So this coming year it will be on June 19th because Father's Day is June 20th, so it's no particular attachment. We just wanted to make sure it's on one one weekend in the same weekend every year so people can plan and you know, remember. And of course it is a family event too. So but we don't want to exclude people that don't have fathers. So, you know, that kind of thing. Now you mentioned that it's expanded now beyond medicine. Yes. There's another group in Edmonton. You're going to be taking part in their ride, which by the time this is broadcast will have already happened. That's right. So we have a group in Edmonton, a lovely lady and husband by the name of Lisa and Doug Wheeler, who do have ties to Medicine Hat, and they had started a ride last year. So they're doing their second one this year as well. And same kind of thing up there. We have a little boy up there this year named haze, and we're looking to help him and his family out. He's got cancer and he's going through some tough stuff. So we're trying to help their family. Okay. Now when we see the riders. Yes. On the route. Yeah. Should we get out of their way? Is there anything we can do to make it easier for you? Well, I mean, you don't have to get out of our way, but you can definitely, you know, show support, honk, wave, you know, that kind of thing. You're always welcome to come and donate at the different stops. There's always somebody there that can, you know, take a donation, and then you're always welcome to show up at the end party kind of idea where we have the final stop and there's always a silent auction. There's a live auction, and people are more than welcome to come and participate and donate. And do I have to have a bike to take part? You definitely do not. There is another thing though, so you can see that I'm wearing a riding for kids hoodie and I'll turn around so I don't know the logo on the back. Yeah, a motorcycle in flames. Yes. So those are available through Tiki Press, so they're available all year at merchee It's M-E-R-C-H-E-E and you just type in Ride In for kids without a G, and our stuff will pop up and you can purchase that. And part of every purchase goes toward our foundation and then back toward the kids. Okay, I have to ask you about the name, though. Yes. I asked you before. Yes. Explain what happened to the G. Well, when when you go into becoming a charity, there's a search across Canada and you have to make sure that your your charity name doesn't, isn't taken by somebody else, and somebody else had one with the G, if I remember correctly. So we had to shorten our. So we're right in for kids instead of with the G. As I said before, just like the three yards riding, reading and rhythmic. That's right. That's our end for radio. There you go. Yeah. In a world that sometimes seems a little bit too negative, thank you for sharing the story of the story. Yes. The people in our community. Yes, yes, this is an amazing foundation, amazing people on the board. And I just feel very blessed to be a part of it. And we invite everyone to come out to our ride next year and hopefully, you know, we can make it even better and we'll look forward to helping another family next year Heather McCaig riding for kids. Awesome. Thank you so much.