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A Manitoba advocacy group is putting on a family-friendly motorcycle ride event to help empower children who have been abused.
"We're a child advocacy group that's focused around motorcycles," says Toaster, the treasurer with Guardians of the Children (GOC) in the Winnipeg and Steinbach area. "Anytime there's a child who's been abused and in the court system, we're able to surround them and accompany them to court."
On top of this, GOC spends time with the children and their families doing fun activities to bring a sense of normalcy through it all.
"For adults, we can be a little intimidating. Watching a guy walk down the street in our vests, but kids don't have that kind of filter. It's easy to be with the kids in this, and also gives them a sense of protection."
Toaster has seen what GOC's support has done in the lives of abused kids while working with the group.
"I always say, 'I love doing this and I hate the fact that I have to do it.' There's a wide range of ways that we see the benefits of what we do in the lives of the kids."
Geezer, one of the GOC members, has heard firsthand from parents how the group has brought a child out of their shell.
"We'll hear from parents, as they get emails from their teachers," says Geezer. T"he teachers will say, 'Your child was so quiet at the beginning of the year, wouldn't reach out to other kids and just kept to themselves. Now they are always helping in class and they want to help other kids, and they've taken back their power.' They are not scared to be themselves anymore. They go from victim to victor."
Upcoming Events to Empower Children
"We do our Empower the Children ride every year," says Geezer. "It's a fundraising ride because everything we do with the kids costs us money. We don't just take the kids into our group. We're a support network for their whole family."
The ride takes place on Saturday, Aug. 16. Motorcyclists can register between 9 and 10 a.m. at Deacon's Corner. The route will take the group all the way up to Pine Falls and back to Steinbach, where a meal will be provided. The cost is $30 for a rider and $40 with a passenger.
"People need to register the day off. We do not have online registration set up yet."
A second event is planned for Aug. 23- 24 with a group called Sundown Gymkhana. It's a two-day event that includes horseback riding, live music, a pancake breakfast, cowboy church, and more.
"We started working with them last year," says Geezer. "Every year they were trying to find a different group to donate to. One of their members had a child that was kidnapped, gone for a week. They got home but were abused while they were gone. So we work with this group. We run their silent auction for them and they donate all the money back to us."