‘Keeping Our Girls Safe Memorial Ride’ Brings Ohio Community Together
Over 1,000 motorcycle riders and supporters make third annual charity ride in honor of Sierah Joughin a phenomenal success.
The motorcycle community has shown its true colors yet again. On July 8, over 1,000 supporters and nearly 700 motorcycles showed up to the third annual Keeping Our Girls Safe Memorial Ride in Toledo, Ohio, to honor Sierah Joughin.
The purposeful ride began last Sunday at Toledo Harley-Davidson and concluded at the Fulton County Fairgrounds, where riders and event participants entered raffles and a silent auction. The funds went to Keeping Our Girls Safe, an organization committed to further empowering women through providing free self-defense classes to the public. The defense classes are hosted in honor of Joughin. In July 2016, the 20-year-old Ohio woman was abducted and killed while on a bicycle ride home in Fulton County. Needless to say, the community has never been the same.
Joughin’s fiance, Josh Kolasinski (pictured in main photo, above), said seeing over a thousand people harmonize during the ride for Sierah was amazing to witness. In coverage by Toledo’s The Blade, Kolasinski admits that without the community’s support, the organization could not accomplish all that it does. “It’s phenomenal seeing the support for the community,” he told the paper.
‘They use the money to help women learn to protect themselves, and that’s the best cause I can think of.’
The memorial ride has administered so much support and activism within the community that Kolasinski considers expansion. Although nothing is set in stone, current event participants are in favor of the idea.
In 2017, the ride brought in $25,000 with every penny reportedly going back into the free self-defense classes.
In addition to providing tens of thousands of dollars to the cause, Tim Sherman, owner of the local Harley Davidson, which hosted the event, believes the annual Keeping Our Girls Safe Memorial Ride helps to combat the false assumptions that surround motorcycle riders. And participants in this year’s event were equally satisfied with the goal and progress of the ride.
“They use the money to help women learn to protect themselves, and that’s the best cause I can think of,” said rider and Toledo resident Steve Ernst to The Blade.
Much like most 20 year olds Joughin was fun loving, motivated, and adventuresome. Her sense of humor and appreciation of life’s opportunities set her apart from the rest, say her closest friends. To learn more about her unmatchable legacy and Keeping Our Girls Safe, visit KOGSafe.
Photos: Keeping Our Girls Safe/Facebook