CARSTAIRS-CREMONA-DIDSBURY - A group of bikers from Calgary will be riding through Mountain View County on May 20 and stopping in several communities to raise awareness about child abuse.
Approximately 70 Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) Calgary chapter members will be rolling through the area building awareness for their cause.
BACA is an international non-profit organization that exists to provide aid, comfort, safety and support for children that have been sexually, physically or emotionally abused.
Calgary chapter president Sully (biker names used to protect identity) said BACA was started in Utah in 1995 and has grown to almost 300 chapters throughout the world.
The Calgary chapter started three and a half years ago and covers the area from High River to Red Deer and from provincial border to provincial border.
"We're there for one reason: we exist as a body of bikers to empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live," said Sully. "We're there to make sure that child can do two things: to become a child again and to live happily without being afraid; and to break that chain, because we know that child abuse is a learned trait. It's something they learn from someone close by."
BACA helps abused children in a number of ways such as by accompanying them to court as well as by offering 24-7 support for each child.
The group will be stopping at the following locations:
10:30 a.m. Didsbury Tim Hortons
10:50 a.m. Carstairs Shell
11:35 a.m. Cremona PetroCan
12:20 a.m. Sundre Shell
1 p.m. Bowden High School
2:40 p.m. Olds Staples - barbecue
"We pick some towns that we haven't done a lot of awareness in," said Sully. "Every year on the third weekend of May all of BACA international, the 300 chapters worldwide, we all get on our bikes and ride to spread awareness across the world on the same day every year."
Sully said that child abuse came happen anywhere day and night.
"We want to let those small communities know that we are available to help," he said. "A lot of people don't know us. They think we're just another bunch of bikers. We want to spread awareness that we're not just a typical biker - we go out and help children and that's our mission."
Sully said that if they can find "one more hero (child) and break the chain" then it's a win for the organization.
People are welcome to come out to the locations and meet the BACA bikers. They will be handing out balloons, stickers and trifolds (information handouts).
"We're also going to take eight to10 members and send them downtown (to) main street to see people there and do the same thing," said Sully.
For more information on the organization please visit its website at Canada.bacaworld.org/Calgary-alberta. The helpline number for those in need is 1-855-923-6584.
