Domestic violence can happen to anyone, including children. Sometimes, it can turn fatal. On September 16, 2006, Silven “Silvie” Yocum died as the result of domestic violence at the young age of five. In her memory, the Yocum Family, in partnership with the Knights Motorcycle Riding Club, host an annual fundraising and awareness event: Silvie’s Ride Against Child Abuse. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, June 18, 2022, and the public is welcome to attend.
Silvie’s Ride is a nearly daylong event that offers several ways for the public to support the cause, including an all-you-can-eat breakfast, a silent auction, and participating in the ride. The event is based at the Macomb Elks Lodge, 401 South Deere Road in Macomb, Illinois. Breakfast, which costs $10 per person, will be available from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. A variety of items will be available for bidding as part of a silent auction from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Vehicle/ride registration will be from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on the day of the event; pre-registration is not required.
For those who want to join the ride, the cost is $20 per vehicle, plus $5 per passenger. All vehicles are welcome to participate, but motorcycles are encouraged. For motorcyclists, a “blessing of the bikes” will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the parking lot. Riders will leave the lodge as a group promptly at 10:30 a.m., with a police escort. Riders will follow a pre-determined route to scheduled stops in McDonough, Warren, Henderson, and Hancock counties, before returning to the Macomb Elks Lodge. A route map will be provided at registration. Riders are not required to follow the entire route from start to finish. Dinner will be provided to registered riders starting at 5:00 p.m. at the Macomb Elks Lodge.
All proceeds from Silvie’s Ride will be donated to Silvie’s Fund at Western Illinois Regional Council-Community Action Agency (WIRC-CAA) Victim Services, which provides free counseling and advocacy services to survivors of abuse who are served by the agency.
“Over 100 vehicles, mostly motorcycles, joined in the ride last year,” said Victim Services Public Relations Manager Jamie Roth. “It was very inspiring to see them all leaving at the same time, especially with the police escort. Hopefully, the 2022 event will have an even larger turnout than last year.”
Silvie’s Ride Against Child Abuse is proudly sponsored in part by Weaver Guns and Ammo; Backdraft BBQ/Damon Wright; Knights Motorcycle Riding Club; Kathy Fuller-Devlin, in memory of Ron Devlin; and Macomb Elks Lodge #1009.
For more information about Silvie’s Ride, or to pre-order a $20 t-shirt, call Kathy Yocum at 309-255-0301 or find them on Facebook at facebook.com/SilviesRideAgainstChildAbuse/.
For more information about Victim Services, call their business line at 309-837-6622, find them on social media, or visit https://wirpc.org/victim-services/. Survivors of abuse, and their loved ones, are encouraged to call the 24/7 free and confidential crisis hotline at 309-837-5555 to speak directly with a trained counselor.
Caption (crowd): Silvie’s Ride Against Child Abuse drew a large crowd of supporters in 2021. Event organizers are hopeful that the 2022 event will be even larger. [Photo by Jamie Roth, WIRC & CAA]
***Report Courtesy of Western Illinois Regional Council-Community Action Agency (WIRC-CAA) Victim Services***
