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As October is known nationally as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a Keweenaw based shelter for victims of abuse is revving up to let people know.
“We used to have candlelight visuals before and attendance was getting less and less so I thought ‘let’s make some noise,’ and so we have a motorcycle ride as our awareness event,” said Executive Director of the Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home Mary Niemela.
After a successful turn out that first year, the event was held annually and generally brings 30 to 50 riders. “I would have been so excited if one or two bikes had shown up that first year, and 32 showed up, and then we had 52, and 37, then we had 40. It’s just been a great event. After the first year or so the bikers called themselves the ADV Riders which is, Against Domestic Violence Riders. We’ve purchased patches for them and they’re a white round patch and they’ve got the purple ribbon on them and they say ADV Riders,” said Niemela.
Monday marks the 5th annual Ride Against Abuse that has always been held on the first Monday of October, which is know as a Day of Unity.
Niemela said, “October 1st at 6:00 it starts at the AmericInn in Calumet in the parking lot. We start with a little bit of a ceremony. We will be talking about why we have to have this and why we still exist.”
The event has always started in Calumet and ended in Houghton, but this year’s course adds some different scenery. “The route is going to be different. The riders wanted to make it a little bit longer. I’ve already talked with law enforcement to let them know that we’re probably going to need them longer than before,” she said.
In past years the route remained on US 41. “We’re going to start in Calumet and we’re going to go through Lake Linden, this time along M-26, all the way through Lake Linden and going through Hancock, crossing the bridge, going up around Montezuma and down Shelden, and then we’ll be ending at Kestner Park in the parking lot there,” said Niemela.
Riders that would like to join and spectators are welcome to show up around 5:00 in Calumet. “What we really want is people out in the community. If you can’t come up to Calumet to send us off or meet us at the park to welcome us in, then be standing on the side of the roads waving at us,” Niemela said.
