Silven “Silvie” Yocum, a joyful five-year-old girl from McDonough County, became a fatal victim of domestic abuse on September 16, 2006. In honor of her memory, Silvie’s family, along with the Knights Motorcycle Riding Club, hosts an annual awareness and fundraising event called Silvie’s Ride Against Child Abuse. While the 2020 event was cancelled out of concerns for the safety of participants due to COVID-19, the event organizers are excited to resume hosting the ride this year on Saturday, June 19, 2021.
Silvie’s Ride is a nearly daylong event that encourages attendees to raise awareness of child abuse by traveling as a group to several pre-determined locations throughout Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, and Warren counties in western Illinois. Participants are encouraged to ride their motorcycle, but all vehicles are welcome to participate. Once again, the ride will begin and end at the Macomb Elks Lodge.
The route and other details for the 2021 ride are being finalized and will be announced in the coming months. The health and safety of all participants is of the highest concern, and state and local guidelines will be followed.
The 2021 event is proudly sponsored in part by Weaver Guns and Ammo; Backdraft BBQ/Damon Wright; Knights Motorcycle Riding Club; and Macomb Elks Lodge #1009.
All donations and contributions to Silvie’s Ride will benefit the Western Illinois Regional Council-Community Action Agency (WIRC-CAA) Victim Services Silvie’s Fund. Victim Services, a local domestic and sexual violence agency, provides free crisis counseling and advocacy to children and adults who have experienced or witnessed abuse.
For more information about Silvie’s Ride, find “Silvie’s Ride Against Child Abuse” on Facebook or call Jon Yocum at
309-255-6927.
If you have experienced abuse at any point in your life, or if you think someone you know is being abused, call Victim Services’ free and confidential hotline at 309-837-5555.
Caption: A large group of motorcyclists participating in the 2019 Silvie’s Ride Against Child Abuse were escorted by the Macomb Police Department as they left the Macomb Elks Lodge [Jamie Roth/Victim Services].
***Report Courtesy of Western Illinois Regional Council-Community Action Agency (WIRC-CAA) Victim Services***
