BRATTLEBORO — The fifth Annual Going the Distance Ride for Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro on June 28 drew 53 riders who, all told, raised more than $41,000.
The riders left the Marlboro College Graduate Center that morning on routes of 40, 60, and 100 miles.
“We were a pretty eclectic group,” said Dr. Robert Nassau, the club's board president and the ride's main organizer. According to Nassau, riders from Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts joined local riders.
“We even had a father-son duo just back from a year in Kazakhstan,” he said.
Nassau said staff noted 12 riders undertaking their first ride for the club; others had tackled the event three, four, or five times.
Club staff and members, board members, and community volunteers staffed four rest stops. Other volunteers drove the route to help riders requiring assistance. Many local businesses donated gift certificates given to riders who raised more than $500 for the club.
Nassau said Brattleboro Memorial Hospital was a major sponsor of the ride for a second year and that a team of 12 riders, consisting of BMH staff and spouses, raised more than $7,000 for the club.
Beth Baldwin, the club's executive director, agreed the event was a hit, and said that donations are still coming in.
“This is our major fundraiser of the year. The response from our community has been terrific. We're very fortunate to have so many riders and donors who support our programs for community youth,” she said.