Gear up for the Motorcycle Ride for Charity

Spring has sprung, and that means motorcycle riders are polishing their bikes to take advantage of riding season. Once again, the Motorcycle Ride for Charity, organized by the REALTORS Care Foundation, will be taking place to raise money for homeless shelters and charities across the province.

This year’s ride takes place on Wednesday, July 10 and Thursday, July 11. The journey begins at the Mississauga Real Estate Board and continues to the Sault Ste. Marie Real Estate Board. The riders will be stopping along the way at real estate board offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Grey-Bruce Owen Sound, and Oakville-Milton. They will also be making a stop at Tobermory, Ontario.

“The motorcycle ride is a highly visible example of the support that REALTORS® give to their communities,” says Richard Hawkins, president of the foundation and a Peterborough real estate broker. “It raises awareness about what we’re doing in the communities, and sends a message about how much we care about the places in which we live. When we ride through the different cities where there are shelters and hospices that we support, people really understand that we are giving back.”

The funds raised go back into communities across Ontario, says Hawkins. “That’s why we encourage real estate brokers and salespeople across the province to play a role by sponsoring a rider or joining the ride. The difference they make can be seen all around us.”

The Motorcycle Ride for Charity also provides REALTORS® with a great opportunity to network with and meet their fellow brokers and salespeople in communities beyond their own, adds Hawkins, who has participated for the past seven years.

The ride has taken place every summer since 2006, with increasing amounts pledged each year. Last year’s ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls, led by 2012 OREA president Ron Abraham, raised $31,000.

In 2012, the foundation gave out $568,000 in grants to 133 charities across the province. Some recipients are: Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations across the province, Collingwood Crisis Centre, YWCA Sudbury, Covenant House Toronto, Couchiching Jubilee House, Domestic Abuse Services Oxford, Community Living Mississauga, the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa and the Regional Hospice of Quinte. For more details, see the “Grants” page of the foundation’s website.

To join the ride, visit the foundation’s website and click on “Ride” and “Register for 2013 ride.” Or if you can’t take part but wish to make a pledge, click on “Sponsor a 2013 Rider.” Visit www.realtorscareontario.ca.