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Motorcycle Ride for Quinn to raise funds for Family Transition Place

July 28, 2016   ·   0 Comments

The first annual Motorcycle Ride for Quinn will take place on Saturday, August 20. The event is being held in honour of Quinn Butt, a five-year-old girl who was killed by her father in Carbonear, Newfoundland.

Organizer Elena Parsons is hoping something positive will come out of the tragedy. The horrific loss was the unfortunate end result of domestic abuse.

“Quinn was stuck in the middle of her two parents that got divorced due to domestic violence – the horrible outcome was this precious angel had her life taken way too soon,” Ms. Parsons explained, adding that her family comes from the same town in Newfoundland. “As someone who knows the family and a mother myself, my heart aches for this poor family and it has been very difficult to sit back and feel so powerless.”

She received a phone call from her girlfriend informing her of what had happened to Quinn and it took a while to set in, she said. The news affected her deeply and she knew she had to do something about it.

“It was a tough week that week – I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened, I had nightmares and I tried so hard to make sense of it all, but no normal person can make sense of such a horrific act,” stated Ms. Parsons.

Domestic violence is all around us, she said.

“It is happening all around us and we are unaware, and more so, victims of domestic abuse are unaware of their options and of safe places they can turn to,” Ms. Parsons noted. “As Quinn’s mom said to me, ‘Quinn was on this earth for a short time but I believe her time here had a purpose.’ So that means we need to be a voice for Quinn and bring the seriousness of domestic abuse to the forefront of people’s minds.”

The goal of the motorcycle ride is to raise awareness of domestic violence and to raise $5,000 which will be donated to Family Transition Place (FTP), a local women’s shelter. She hopes the motorcycle ride will become an annual event.

“I ride myself and have a passion for riding, and I think having a ton of motorcycles parading around town will strike awareness and get people talking,” said Ms. Parsons. “By giving to this event, you’ll be supporting Family Transition Place who will help educate those in our community about domestic violence to hopefully prevent another senseless act like this from happening again.”

The motorcycle ride will start at Westside Secondary School, 300 Alder Street. The registration fee is $30 per bike which will be paid the day of event. This includes one food ticket (hot dog or chicken on a bun), a drink and souvenir. One hundred per cent of the registration fee goes to Family Transition Place Orangeville. Registration will take place from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. followed by the ride.

“I encourage all riders to show their support by getting creative and decorate their bike in Quinn’s favorite colours – pink and purple,” said Ms. Parsons adding there will be a prize for first, second and third place winner.

Those unable to participate in the ride are encouraged to attend a post-ride barbecue at Westside Secondary, which will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.. The barbecue, sponsored by Maple Lodge Farms,  will have hot dogs and chicken on a bun for purchase (cash only). There will also be a raffle and a 50/50 draw. All proceeds will also be donated to FTP.

There will also be an area on-site the day of the event where people can contribute to FTP if they wish. In addition to monetary donations, there are a number of other ways to donate and provide support to FTP. These can include gift cards or donations of items currently needed by the shelter.

“There are many ways for the community to get involved; any involvement is a huge contribution,” Ms. Parsons noted.

She encourages everyone to participate, whether they take part in the ride or not.

“Since I started organizing this, I have had three women come forward to let me know they are either currently in an abusive relationship – one of whom I have been friends with since my childhood – or that they have been in an abusive relationship,” said Ms. Parsons. “I thought I didn’t know anyone other than this tragedy that has taken place, but I was mistaken. So if you think you don’t know someone who is or has been affected by domestic abuse, I would say think again. Think about your loved ones, think about poor five-year-old Quinn who didn’t have a voice of her own and imagine her being your loved one. Take this as an opportunity to be a voice for these victims and be a part of making a change in your very own community. You could be helping someone you know or a stranger that once stood beside you in a checkout line at the grocery store.”

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