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Ready for a scenic ride on the back of a motorcycle or a spin in the car? Join the Domestic Violence Crisis Center Saturday at The Landing as they host their eighth annual Ride to Remember event starting at 11 a.m. for those ages 21-plus and entry is $20.

The Ride to Remember starts at The Landing in Minot and takes motorcyclists and drivers through Burlington, Grano, Mohall and back to Minot. In each town they will stop at local bars — Dakota Lounge in Minot, Idle Hour in Burlington, Grano Lakeside Lounge in Grano and Drinks Inc. in Mohall. The event is the biggest fundraiser for DVCC.

“It really helps fill in the gaps,” DVCC Executive Director Jill McDonald said. “We have a lot of grant funding but sometimes they are not all-encompassing. Sometimes if we see a special need then we can use unencumbered fundraising dollars to help fill that need as it comes up.”

Last year, the lift station for the DVCC sewer system went out and resulted in $20,000 in unexpected repairs. At that point, the fundraising dollars came in handy and the center was able to make the necessary repairs to continue pursuing their mission.

This is going to be the third year McDonald will be a part of the Ride to Remember event and she said she enjoys seeing participants who continue to come back year after year for the ride.

“They’ll kind of share their stories or they’ll come up and are able to share with us that we helped someone they knew or that we impacted their world and that’s always awesome to hear,” McDonald explained.

The ride stays pretty close to Minot but gets out into the hills and shows off the rolling prairies of North Dakota without having to go far.

“We have some couples that have convertibles or whatever you want to drive, you can join in on the party,” McDonald said. “Have a good time, take the drive with us and come back, we’ve got some great prizes this year.”

After the ride returns to Minot, DVCC will provide a dinner of pulled pork sandwiches and chips at The Landing for the riders and will be doing a raffle ticket drawing for a chance to win prizes including: a Junior Elite 20 Traeger grill, 8-piece Milwaukee tool set, Marketplace Foods gift card set ($500 total value), Lowes Floral Center gift certificate ($300), cash prizes and a Verendrye Electric gift bag. Raffle tickets are $10 each and will be available at registration.

The Domestic Violence Crisis Center is a safe space for anyone that has been impacted by domestic or sexual abuse, whether it is physical, psychological or monetary.

“Even if someone is just having that hair on the back of your neck standing up like ‘I just don’t know if this is right,’ feeling, they can call and speak to an advocate and learn what their options are,” McDonald said.

While DVCC does a lot of work in the moment of crisis, they are also focusing on prevention and working with younger people to educate them on what healthy relationships look like so that they can prevent being in a dangerous situation.

They also do a lot of work beyond the crisis. They have support groups led by people who have been through abusive or violent situations that come back to help people currently working through difficult situations.

In 2018, the DVCC was able to provide over 3,850 safe nights of shelter to survivors and their children. The need for shelter has increased by nearly 30% in the first quarter of 2019. The Ride to Remember event allows the center to continue to be a safe haven and resource to those in need in the community.

To learn more about the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, visit courage4change.org.