Riders remember and honor the Capital Region's missing
Posted at: 09/28/2012 3:32 PM
By: Mark Mulholland
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SARATOGA SPRINGS - At times, the rain was as heavy as their hearts.
Dozens of people riding bicycles in a downpour to honor those who've gone missing.
Some of the riders are family members of those who disappeared.
Suzanne Lyall vanished from Albany in March of 1998. Her cousin, Shaun Berry, rides for her.
"I love doing it. I love supporting my aunt and uncle. I love thinking about my cousin, Suzanne and keeping her memory alive," said Berry.
The ride serves a dual purpose: To raise awareness of the local missing and raise money for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the posters they use to find people.
Veronica Frear's son, Craig, was just 17 when he disappeared from Scotia in 2004.
"Years later when the leads dry up and you run out of resources, these posters are what you have," Frear said.
And they have the empathy of other families who've endured similar heartache. Most of whom were represented at this ride.
"My sister-in-law has been missing for over ten years now. To know that there's a group of people that give up a day, they come out in the rain, they support you. And they support how you're feeling," said Stacy Herron Wozniak, who is Chair of this year's Capital District Ride for Missing Children.
This year's ride was the 5th annual. It covered 100 miles. It began at U-Albany where Suzanne Lyall was last seen.
Along the way, they stopped at places that were significant in the lives of their missing loved one.
Suzanne Lyall went to Milton Terrace Elementary School. Today, children learned from these riders about ways to stay safe.
"To me, it's quite an honor to come here and do that for her," said Berry.
