DOWAGIAC — Next month, men and women will cruise through the streets of Dowagiac on motorcycles in order to raise money for those who are in need.

Dowagiac’s eighth annual Ride 4 the Homeless and Car Show will kick off from the Southwestern Michigan College Dowagiac campus, 58900 Cherry Grove Road, Dowagiac, at 11 a.m. June 16. The community is invited to participate in the slate of activities, which begin at 9 a.m., including the annual 80-mile motorcycle ride, as well as a car show to take place at SMC.

Registration for the ride is $20 per motorcycle, and $5 for an additional passenger. Registration for the car show is $20.

All proceeds from the event will go toward the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency’s homeless shelter, located in Decatur, which serves families affected by homelessness in Cass, Berrien and Van Buren counties.

Organizer Jeremy Weinrick personally is not a motorcycle rider, but many of his friends are, which is why they decided to host a ride as a fundraiser.

“We decided to give back to the local homeless population, because we saw there was a need there,” he said. “We know there is homelessness in Cass and Van Buren counties, and it is devastating for people who experiences that. … We want to be able to help.”

The Ride 4 the Homeless has a record of raising $9,000 for the local homeless population. Though the group has done less fundraising this year than in previous years, Weinrick said he would be pleased to raise that amount of money again for this year’s event. To help reach that goal, a quarter paddle auction will be hosted from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Dowagiac Elks, 300 Riverside Dr., Dowagiac. Paddles are $5.

A quarter paddle auction works by giving each participant a numbered paddle and a cup to place in front of them. Then, each time an item is up for auction, if they are interested, the participant will place a number of quarters in the cup in front of them depending on the value of the item. The auctioneer will then draw a number, and if the number matches the participants paddle number, they win the auction and exchange the quarters for the item.

“That should be pretty fun,” Weinrick said.

Weinrick said he hopes anyone who is interested attends the Ride 4 the Homeless and Car Show or the paddle auction.

“It’s a good cause and a lot of fun.” he said. “We can see local motorcycle groups giving back to the community, and giving to the cause of a major issue in our community. If we can all give a little something, maybe we can help
alleviate the problem.”