Every year, the familiar sounds associated with Ride to Clyde can be heard as riders raise awareness, funds, and share the love of Christ through the charity ride. There is the rumble of motorcycle engines as they travel to Baptist Children’s Homes (BCH) locations throughout the state.
The sounds of horns resonated across BCH’s Mills Home location in Thomasville as preschoolers sit on the parked motorcycles. There is the laughter of children and special needs adults as they spent time with them. Most of all, there are the voices of the riders sharing the gospel and lifting up prayers as they journey throughout the state.
This year, the eighth annual Ride to Clyde, organized in partnership with NC Baptists and volunteer leaders, ended with the sounds of praises and cheers as an oversized check of $178,002.00 was presented. It was a record amount raised benefiting those BCH serves. “Each year I am humbled by the grace of God, the generosity of His people who pray and give so that the Christ-honoring ministries of BCH receive this much-needed support.” said Volunteer Coordinator Brian Davis.
The multi-day ride took place from May 10 to May 13 and was comprised of two routes. The first is the east to west route that began at Caswell Conference Center in Oak Island. The west to east ride started at Truett Conference Center and Camp in Hayesville. Both routes ended at BCH’s Broyhill Home in Clyde which is where Ride to Clyde gets its name. “The second route tripled its number of riders this year providing more opportunities for participants to interact with BCH’s children and special needs adults,” said BCH Trustee and Volunteer Leader Rit Varialle. “It’s a trend we can build on for 2024.”
To date, the ride has raised more than $750,000 for BCH in cooperation with NC Baptists and motorcyclists from churches located across the state. Next year’s ride is tentatively scheduled for May 8-11, 2024.
Written by Blake Ragsdale, BCH Director of Communications
Gallery: This includes pictures of the ride throughout North Carolina.