Ride Across Belize for your favorite charities

Cyclists and enthusiasts of the sport, participating in the ninth annual Ride Across Belize, pedaled on the Philip Goldson Highway today. The event has two main objectives: one is to promote healthy lifestyles and the other is to raise funds for needy charities.  The social occasion which has typically commemorated the anniversary of the Social Security Board has grown and it is expected to be a national fundraising event across communities.  It’s not a race and today Duane Moody reports on the easy riders whose pedaling started in Corozal and will end in Placencia.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Today was the first of a four day ride by about a hundred riders. It’s the Social Security Board’s annual charity effort, Ride Across Belize. The trek; some eighty-plus miles from Corozal to Belize City began around six a.m. and ended at the S.S.B. office on Princess Margaret Drive just after midday. According to Committee Member, Chandra Cansino, the goal is to raise fifty thousand dollars.

Chandra Cansino

Chandra Cansino, Member, Ride Across Belize Committee

“People participate at different parts in the race. The group that actually got to Belize City was around a hundred people. We registered sixty-six people in Corozal, but we picked up a lot of people along the way. So we got well over a hundred people. The next step is to ride from Belize City to Cayo tomorrow and from Cayo to Dangriga on Friday and then from Dangriga to Placencia on Saturday.”

Several corporate citizens had representation this year. Participating for the fourth time in a row is the Belize Water Services. Nicolyn Parks spoke of the experience.

Nicolyn Parks

Nicolyn Parks, BWS Rider

“We had eight riders taking part today and we are very proud of them. BWS does find it important to contribute to society and events like these as well as the causes. It is a part of what we do as a company. The Missing Children Organization is definitely a very important cause as well as Crimestoppers. So it is just our way of giving back, participating and supporting these organizations.”

Javier Rosado and a group of friends participated in the ride for the first time. Rosado says they have been training since January, but the ride was tough.

Javier Rosado, Rider

“The Ride Across Belize has been something that I’ve always been interested in. this is the first year I’ve really taken up the challenge. It’s been very challenging. Myself and a group of friends started to train from early January. So this morning the ride was nice; it is very social and you meet very nice people out there and everybody work together. Overall the experience it is a hard ride and if you prepare yourself for it, you will be just finer out there.”

Jerome Flores

Jerome Flores, a well-known paraplegic who wanted to create awareness for persons living with a wide range of disabilities, joined the riders at Orange Walk Town. And despite experiencing some muscle pains, he completed the ride.

Jerome Flores, Rider

“I decided to join in at Orange Walk because I dint want to push myself from Corozal as it is much further. So I went this morning and joined in and we rode all the way back. It was very good at the beginning, but I started catching cramps getting closer to Belize, but I just wanted to be the first and inspire others to join in and to gain this wonderful experience and also to support a good cause.”

Receiving the healthy donations are Crimestoppers Belize and newly created group, Belize Missing Child Emergency Response. Both organizations are essentially fighting against crime. Sharon Marin Lewis says that the donation will assist in the awareness campaign of the organization.

Sharon Marin Lewis, Belize Missing Child Emergency Response

Sharon Marin Lewis

“It was inspired by the discovery of the body of Jasmine Lowe which happened earlier this year in June. I started a facebook page and before I knew it, there were three thousand plus member and we had a series of meeting; four meetings to be exact.  We knew we wanted a website; we wanted to have durable posters around because there are durable posters around, but we have children that are still missing who have been missing for years. And people seem to have forgotten about them except the families. So we wanted to keep them in the light. We also wanted to start an awareness campaign—discussing with families and children how to be safer, how to look out for signs and we made that direct link between predators and pedophiles and missing children.”

Diane Finnegan

Diane Finnegan, Belize Missing Child Emergency Response

“There will be obstacles, there will be challenges, there will be temptations along the way and I experienced every single one of them because early in the race as we were leaving Orange Walk I fell so my hands are all bruised up and my left leg and I felt as if do I wouldn’t be able to do this. My message is to young people across the board; especially those who are hell-bent on the gun violence. I am fifty-one and I took on one of the greatest challenge to ride from Orange Walk to Belize. If I can do this, then you can put down the guns.”

The next leg starts on Thursday at six a.m. is from Belize City to Cayo. Duane Moody for News Five.