The Goshen United Methodist Church and Electrolyte Depletion Cycling Group are teaming up to make life better for children.

Ride for a Reason event is scheduled for May 7 at the church, 2765 Suttontown Road, Newton Grove. The bike ride through Newton Grove and surrounding areas will include a 10 mile ride for casual cyclists. For more experienced cyclists, 30 mile and 50 miles routes are also available.

Proceeds from the event will go towards the Methodist Home for Children in Raleigh, which provides a variety of outreach and support for families. Brent Rivenbark, an Electrolyte Depletion member, believes it’s important to help children any way possible.

“As cliche as it sounds they are the future,” Rivenbark said. “We want to encourage and motivate people to get out there and be involved with their community. Go be a role model or a mentor for a child. It can change your life and theirs.”

The goal is to raise $5,000, which is double from what was raised during the a fundraiser for Debbie Guin, who was battling cancer.

“Our first ride was extremely successful,” he said. “We passed all of our goals that were set and ended up raising $2,500 with almost 40 cyclist. This year we are hoping to double that amount with 50 or more riders.”

Rivenbark said the cycling group tries to stick to their mission by giving back to the community through bike rides, donations and fundraisers. The church and Electrolyte Depletion are looking forward to many cyclist attending the event.

“Ride for a Reason is a great event for an awesome cause,” Rivenbark said. “We hope that any cyclist in North Carolina looking for a lot of fun and a friendly competitive ride comes out and joins us. The hospitality at Ride for a Reason just can not be beat. So, bring a friend or three and we look forward to meeting you.”

Electrolyte Depletion began with a small group of cousins who wanted to improve their physical and mental health. Through support, they began cycling together and pushing each other to reach goals. It now consist of 11 members and membership is open to the public.

“Keeping a positive attitude and encouraging others to give back to the community is also a huge part of this purpose,” Rivenbark said.

It was also noted that members of the Goshen United Methodist are also involved in various mission projects. In 2015, the church decided to focus their big mission project on the children’s home. The church supported the organization through collections during services once a year.

“They felt that there had to be more that they could do,” Rivenbark said. “They hope that this year’s Ride for a Reason event will be just as successful as last years.”

Businesses are being encouraged to participate as well. Those who donate $50 or more will be listed on the event’s T-shirt and on the donor board. Donations of $100 or more will be listed on goody bags that each rider takes home after the event.

Riders can register online by visiting, www.active.com and searching for “Ride for a Reason. All participants that register online will get a T-shirt and cyclists can also register the day of the event.

For more information about the event or participating in the group, contact Rivenbark at 910-290-3220 or by email at [email protected]; or Melanie Spell at 910-590-6728 or by email at [email protected].

Reach Chase Jordan at 910-249-4617. Follow us on Twitter at @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook.

By Chase Jordan

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The Electrolyte Depletion Cycling Group is hosting a bike ride to help children.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_riding2.jpgThe Electrolyte Depletion Cycling Group is hosting a bike ride to help children.