Ride for Dad reaches fundraising record

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This article was published 27/05/2023 (919 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The organizers behind a long-running annual fundraising event for prostate cancer research are revved-up after raising a record amount of money.

The Manitoba Motorcycle Ride for Dad raised nearly $500,000 Saturday. The funds represent a new record for the ride, which is now in its 15th year.

“The outpouring of support from Manitobans this year was incredible,” event co-chair Kirk Van Alstyne said in a statement.

“We are so very grateful.”

More than 1,200 riders set out from the parking lot of the Cadillac-Fairview Polo Park mall Saturday morning, heading westbound on Portage Avenue in a police-escorted parade. The motorcyclists rode to Assiniboia Downs, before turning north to Selkirk and Gimli.

The crew then returned to Winnipeg and met at the Canad Inns in Windsor Park, where the lucky winner of a motorcycle raffle was to win their choice of a new Harley-Davidson or BMW motorcycle, or $25,000 in cash.

The raffle was a huge draw for contributions, pulling in roughly $50,000, organizers said.

The event is led by the Winnipeg Police Association and has raised $4 million since it began. All of the proceeds remain in Manitoba, and are dedicated for prostate cancer research and education.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men, and the third most lethal.

In 2022, the organization estimated 24,600 Canadian men would be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 4,600 Canadian men would die of the disease. The numbers represent 20 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, of all expected cancer diagnoses and deaths that year.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca