One local non-profit organization joined Bike Ride Across Nebraska in Seward and Saline counties last week to raise awareness for a “Breaking the Cycle” cause.
Carmen Hinman, a Fairbury native and executive director for the Hope Crisis Center, rode the 35.6-mile route from Wilber to Seward on June 9 in the sixth day of the Bike Ride Across Nebraska, or BRAN, a seven-day ride starting in Benkelman and ending in Ashland.
In Seward, one of Hope Crisis Center’s tents was set up with staff to greet Hinman and the other cyclists as they finished the day’s route. The tent was a familiar sight to some riders, as Hinman and the center were involved in both 2017 and 2018’s BRAN events.
Hinman, having just finished the ride herself, assisted her staff in handing out popsicles and snacks to the herd of bikers chatting around the tent. During the event, she wore a custom cycling jersey bearing the words “Breaking the Cycle” that helped her stand out amongst the crowd.
“We use BRAN as a platform to create our own awareness around our cause and that we cycle,” Hinman said. “We have our jerseys that we wear everyday so that people know that we’re riding for a cause.”
Her brother, Dave Churchill, from Wilber, encouraged Hinman to pursue cycling and has participated in every BRAN ride alongside her. He is nearby in a matching jersey, helping as well.
“He is a huge supporter of our agency,” Hinman said.
For Hinman and the Hope Crisis Center, that agency is providing services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. The non-profit organization covers seven counties in southeastern Nebraska, including Seward, according to Mindy Burns, program manager for the organization. The center provides services to survivors such as legal advocacy, temporary emergency shelter, and a 24-hour support hotline.
BRAN provided an opportunity for the organization to raise funds for and bring awareness to their cause in more than one way. Hinman and Churchill’s passion for cycling allows them to raise money and awareness among the BRAN community.
The route for the ride also travels through many of the counties the organization serves, allowing them to set up tents and interact with members of the communities they work to help, according to Burns.
The center aimed to raise $5,000 by the end of the ride on June 10, as they were able to do in both 2017 and 2018, according to Burns. They finished just shy of that goal, collecting $4,881 worth of donations by the time they reached the ride’s end point in Ashland. That money will help the organization continue to fund the services they provide.
Along with the popsicles, the center’s tent had “Breaking the Cycle” shirts and snacks with scannable QR codes that provided more information about the organization. Their tents also allowed their staff to inform bikers participating in BRAN about the cause they serve and the ways they can help survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
“People come up to our tables and have lots of questions about what we do and how they can help,” Burns said. “It’s really been great that there’s lots of people from Nebraska that ride BRAN.”
Being the third year it has followed Hinman on the ride, the Hope Crisis Center’s “Breaking the Cycle” tent has even become a familiar sight at the event for some.
“People have been connecting ‘Oh, you guys are the Breaking the Cycle team’,” said Hinman. “So yeah, riders that have participated are starting to recognize that we’re back again.”
Those at the Hope Crisis Center would like to be involved with BRAN in the future years when the route runs through the counties they cover, according to Burns.
“We want to continue to use it as a platform and continue to raise money,” Burns said.
In the meantime, the organization plans to keep creating awareness on social media and getting people to donate to their cause as they continue to provide services to survivors, according to Hinman.
