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Ride for Dad provides hope and help for those with prostate cancer

Annual local fundraiser, gearing up for 14th annual run in May, has raised more than $1M
2018-03-29 ride for dad donation.jpg
Organizers have been working hard, gearing up for the 14th annual Huronia Ride for Dad, which will depart Orillia’s Legion on May 26. Casino Rama Cares made a donation to the cause this week. Celebrity ride captain Jason McCoy, left, and event organizer Colin Wackett, centre, accepted the donation from Natasha Borutski, the casino’s public relations co-ordinator. Dave Dawson/OrilliaMatters

Organizers are revving up for the 14th annual Huronia Ride for Dad, which will feature more than 600 motorcyclists who will hit local roads to help raise money to combat prostate cancer.

The popular Orillia-based event has raised “well over $1 million” to date, said event organizer Colin Wackett.

And while raising money is the driving force behind the effort, it’s the impact of that money that fuels the campaign, said Wackett. He has witnessed, first-hand, how the money has helped change lives.

Two years ago at the Orillia event, Wackett was introduced to a man who had recently learned he had “the worst readings for his biopsy and PSA test that you can imagine,” Wackett recalled. “He had been advised there was literally nothing they could do except give him injections to try to slow it down. He felt despondent and helpless because it didn’t seem like there was anything that could be done.”

That year, three prostate cancer researchers were in Orillia to speak to the riders before they embarked on their journey. Wackett arranged for the man to speak with the researchers about his case.

“Within a week, he was down at Sunnybrook (Hospital) undergoing a new treatment we had funded,” said Wackett, explaining how doctors injected radiated seeds into the prostate in combination with external radiation.

“One year later, he did a solo motorcycle trip to the west coast and back,” said Wackett, who has stayed in contact with the man. “He’s feeling fine! That’s what you hope for and that’s why we’re here.”

Celebrity ride captain Jason McCoy, a country singer and DJ at KICX FM, concurred.

“I really like the fact that the dollars raised here are not just gathered and sent to help some big faceless machine we don’t know much about,” said McCoy. “Actual researchers come up here, they see the motorbikes, they talk to the riders and they tell us what’s going on. That, to me, is amazing. I don’t know of any other program that does that.”

McCoy, who has been involved for most of the 14 years, said hearing success stories “really strengthens my resolve to be involved.”

It’s also somewhat personal now; his dad is a prostate cancer survivor. He said he has been amazed by how treatment has improved and advanced even in the few years since his father was diagnosed. “Treatment has come a long way … it’s great to play a little part in that.”

McCoy is also working on plans to present a benefit concert to aid prostate cancer. He said he will perform alongside other well-known special guests at a date and time to be determined.

Though he is happy to help, McCoy downplayed his role, saying Wackett is the event’s driving force. “(Wackett) is the strong heartbeat of this thing without a doubt,” said McCoy. “This is not a one-day event for him, but a 365-day effort and that passion keeps us all engaged.”

Among those engaged are myriad sponsors who are “vital” to the event, said Wackett.

“I mean this sincerely, if it wasn’t for sponsors, like Casino Rama, who encourage us all the way, who bring a team of riders with them to raise money, I don’t know how we’d survive,” he said.

This year, the Casino Rama Cares program continued its support in the form of a cheque for $5,400.

“The mandate of the Casino Rama Cares program is to improve the qualify of life for residents in Simcoe County,” said Natasha Borutski, public relations co-ordinator at the casino. “The Ride for Dad proves year after year that through the contribution of sponsors, so many community volunteers and 600-700 participants that this particular event and fundraiser is leading the way in prostate cancer research.”

Registration for this year’s event begins Friday, May 25 at 4 p.m. at the Orillia branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Riders can also register the next morning from 7 to 9 a.m. The Ride for Dad will depart the Legion at 10 a.m.

For more information, to register or make a donation, visit ridefordad.ca/huronia


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Dave Dawson

About the Author: Dave Dawson

Dave Dawson is community editor of OrilliaMatters.com
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