By Matthew Liebenberg
Funds raised with the enthusiastic contributions of motorcyclists and Swift Current Ride for Dad supporters will make a difference in the fight against prostate cancer.
The 2024 Swift Current Motorcycle Ride for Dad (SCMRFD) took place on June 8, but donations are still accepted until October toward this year’s total fundraising amount.
“We do fundraising all throughout the year,” SCMRFD Co-Chair Mary-Lou Gates said. “It continues all year. It’s not just a one-day thing.”
Funds are used to support prostate cancer research as well as public awareness campaigns about the disease and the importance of early detection, which can help to save lives.
Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer in Canadian men and early detection increases the survivability rate.
The SCMRFD made a cheque presentation of $35,000 at this year’s event to Dr. Yuliang Wu from the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine. This amount represents the funds raised during the 2023 Swift Current Ride for Dad.
Gates noted that this year’s total will exceed the amount from last year, because over $37,000 were already received on the ride day and donations were still coming in.
There were 109 riders at this year’s event, which was lower than last year, but the amount raised was already higher than the total from 2023.
She noted that the lower participation did not come as a surprise, because there were a lot of events happening during the June 8 weekend.
“We knew we were going to be down for sure, but we raised more money with less riders,” she said. “So the riders that did come out sure did a great job.”
The day-long event started at the Living Sky Casino with a breakfast and a parade through city streets. Riders then participated in a poker run through southwest Saskatchewan.
They all met in Eastend for lunch and then had the option to follow different routes back to Swift Current. One route took them past Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park to Maple Creek and back to Swift Current. The other route went through Shaunavon, Climax and Val Marie to Swift Current. The day concluded with awards and presentations at the casino.
“We were very happy with the ride,” she said. “It went really well. Everybody came back safe and sound. They all enjoyed themselves and they had a great lunch in Eastend.”
The meal for the Eastend lunch stop was prepared by the Friends of Pine Cree, a local group that carries out activities to support the Pine Cree Regional Park.
“The Eastend group of ladies there always do a lunch for us and it’s always very well received,” Gates said.
Swift Current Ride for Dad raised over $718,000 from 2013 to 2023 and during this period over 2,000 riders participated in the event.
“We’ve had really good support,” she said. “All of our sponsors have been phenomenal. We’ve had sponsors that have been with us from day one. We feel very grateful for all of the sponsors that have stuck with us and the new ones that we’re continuing to get. The community has supported us so well. We are just so grateful.”
Donations can be made online to SCMRFD by going to the following website: www.ridefordad.ca/chapter/swift-current
