12th Annual Ride for Missing Children is Underway

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12th Annual Ride for Missing Children is Underway

By JOLEEN FERRIS

Story Created: May 16, 2008 at 8:38 AM EST

Story Updated: May 16, 2008 at 11:14 AM EST

Friday is the 12th Annual Ride for Missing Children. It began in honor of Sara Ann Wood - the 12-year-old Litchfield girl who disappeared in 1993.

Sara was never found, but thanks to the ride created in her honor, hundreds of missing children have been recovered. It's hard to believe the ride began with only 43 riders back in 1997. Now, it has grown to more than 400 riders.

Twelve years into the ride, it is still awe-inspiring to see that two-mile stretch of bikes. The riders are stopping or driving by 17 local schools, and that's what the ride is really all about.

We've seen children snatched from stores, their own front yards, even their own bedrooms. This ride is about giving children the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe. The ride chairman hopes that wrapping the message in such a spectacular package will help it stick.

In addition to raising awareness, riders today are raising posters; each 25 cents they raise will buy a poster featuring a missing child. And each rider raises $500 to take part in the ride - so that's a lot of posters!

It all wraps up at the New Hartford Rec Center. The riders are expected there around 6:45 Friday night, where there will be a reception for them.

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