ROME, N.Y. — Three Eastern Air Defense Sector Airmen spent June 5 tackling an 80-mile bike ride to support the Mohawk Valley Chapter of The Ride for Missing Children.
The organization works to raise awareness about child exploitation and abduction, and Master Sgt. Nicholas Carrier, Master Sgt. Ward Seymour, and Tech Sgt. Gennaro Anibarro raised $1,200 to support the mission.
Carrier is an Inspector General Superintendent; Ward is an Inspector Coordinator; and Anibarro is the Non-Commissioned Officer of Operations and Employment.
They collected pledges from family, friends, and co-workers for each mile peddled.
Carrier said the motivation to ride was deeply personal, driven by his perspective as a parent.
“Being a father and seeing some of the stories, it hits even harder when you’re actually there,” Carrier said.
The Ride for Missing Children’s roots in the Mohawk Valley date back to August 1993, when 12-year-old Sara Anne Wood was abducted near her home in Sauquoit, New York.
Though search parties never found her, her father, Bob Wood, chose to honor her memory in early 1995 by embarking on a bicycle ride to Washington, D.C. His journey was designed to bring national awareness to the ongoing reality of child abduction and exploitation—a mission that continues to drive the event today.
This year’s local 80-mile route took the riders from Whitesboro and New Hartford, through Oneida and Rome, before returning to Whitesboro.
Along the way, the cyclists made five dedicated stops at area schools—roughly every 15 miles—and completed 10 to 12 "ride-bys.”
Cheering teachers and school children lined up on the streets to encourage the riders.
To keep the mission close to their hearts, each participant wore a tag on their jerseys bearing the name of a specific missing child, Carrier said.
Each 80-mile journey was dedicated to that child's memory, he explained.
While the event once saw upward of 500 cyclists, participation this year was around 150.
Carrier said he is encouraging others in the community to get involved, whether by riding or volunteering, to help keep the mission alive.
"I would highly recommend anybody do it at least once," he said. "Sign up for something like this, just to broaden your perspective. It is a truly incredible event."