The Ride For Missing Children (RFMC) initially began locally in 1995 as the result of the abduction of Sara Anne Wood. Sara was abducted while riding her bike in the Sauquoit area. The RFMC brings awareness to issues that affect child safety such as social media and the internet. This year the focus was on sex trafficking. The fund raising of this event is used to provide education to children and parents on critical child safety issues. Every rider wears a pin of a missing child during the ride. Riders who have previously done the RFMC will also wear pins from the previous years.
During the RFMC we stop at several local schools and have the opportunity to talk with the children about safety. Riding into the school entrances is exhilarating because the children are excited, yelling and happy to see us. The teachers and children are very welcoming. They make signs, bracelets and pins for us. The RFMC is very emotional. We also ride by silent tributes honoring missing children. Families of the child stand next to flower arrangements; this is a very somber moment. The importance of The RFMC is to bring hope to families that we will never stop searching for their missing child. The mission is “to make our children safer, one child at a time.”
This years 81 mile RFMC had a different route, as we started and finished from Sauquoit Schools. This brought the RFMC back to its roots, back to why we ride. This gave us the opportunity to ride by Sara’s memorial located in front of Sauquoit Middle School. This was the first of many silent tributes for the day. The RFMC concluded with a closing ceremony at Sauquoit Middle School which included families of missing children.
I have ridden in the RFMC for four consecutive years and participated in Miles For Hope during COVID. This was Ben Thomas’s second time to participate in the RFMC.
Lisa Streeter, MS, RN, CNE
Faculty, St. Elizabeth College of Nursing
