On behalf of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), we would like to welcome you to The Ride for Missing Children – Central New York. There are three purposes to “The Ride”:

To honor the memory of all missing children,
To increase public awareness of the plight of all missing and exploited children and the need for child safety education, and
To raise funds to support the missing children poster distribution and mission of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – New York/Mohawk Valley (NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley).

Participation in The Ride for Missing Children can take many forms and offer varying degrees of involvement either as a Rider, or as a Volunteer.

 

 

Riders

 

You can become part of our unified team of bicyclists, riding 2 x 2 for 100-miles, escorted by the New York State Police and local law enforcement of the jurisdictions along our route. The Ride stops at schools along the way for educational Rest Stops, and we “Ride-By” other schools throughout the day. At each school we visit, we bring our message of child safety and abduction prevention. Before the Ride we reach out to schools “beyond our borders” with educational and awareness programs.

 

Our bicycles are the “vehicles” we use to make our journey. They merely provide us with a visible means to spread our message about the plight of missing and exploited children, and the importance of child safety education. Our bicycles help us to communicate with those whom we ride by and to educate those that we visit. Above all, The Ride for Missing Children is not about a bike ride.

 

To participate as a Rider, you must be willing and capable of making several commitments, including:

 

Participate in, train for, and ride in the 100-mile Ride for Missing Children at a pace of 14 – 17 mph (on the flats),
Help NCMEC in our mission in promoting awareness of the plight of all missing and exploited children and the need for child safety and abduction prevention education, and
Support the missing child poster distribution program and mission of NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley by raising the equivalent of 2,000 posters of missing children of missing children. This is equivalent to $500.

 

 

Volunteers

 

The Ride for Missing Children, and the mission of the NCMEC–NY/Mohawk Valley office does not happen without the efforts of countless volunteers. Participation opportunities abound both on the day of The Ride, and throughout the year. Day-of-the-Ride volunteers provide logistical support to Riders all along the route, and in particular at school rest stops. While the Riders are the most visible part of the Ride, Volunteers are equal members of the team. The Ride for Missing Children does not happen without the support, assistance, and efforts of the Volunteers. Volunteers are needed not just on the day of The Ride but throughout the year helping with planning for the annual Ride event, and assisting in the mission of the NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley center.

 

In order to take part, all Riders and Volunteers must submit a completed registration application. Copies of these forms can be downloaded from this page. Completed forms are returned to the NCMEC-NY/Mohawk Valley office, where they are reviewed and appropriate clearance checks are carried out. All participants in The Ride for Missing Children must undergo a background clearance check.

 

Participation in The Ride for Missing Children as a Rider or a Volunteer is not about personal challenge or achievement – it is about our mission “to make our children safer …one child at a time”.