CARLISLE, Ind. (WTHI) – Corrections officers, staff and family members gathered Monday at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility to welcome Cops Cycling for Survivors, an organization that raises money and awareness for the loved ones of fallen officers.
The group is currently 8 days into a 13 day journey, with officers, friends and family riding along for one day, a few days, or all 13. The ride began on July 6th at the Indianapolis Indiana Police and Fire Memorial and concludes on July 18th at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. For more information about their route click here.
The correctional facility presented Cops Cycling for Survivors with a $1,500 donation during the stop.
A stop rooted in loss
Wabash Valley Correctional Facility has been a stop on the ride since 2013, following the death of correctional officer Tim Betts the year before.
“It’s an honor for us to host them every year, it’s one of our highlights of the year — one of their stops being here,” Warden Keith Vinardi said. “Especially to honor our staff that have fallen and to continue to honor all the staff that have fallen in the line of duty in law enforcement and corrections and things of that nature.”
Vinardi said the facility’s support of the organization dates back more than a decade.
“We’ve been doing this since 2013, after the passing of one of our officers,” Vinardi said. “We’ve been big supporters of Cops Cycling for Survivors ever since.”
Rider in his ninth year reflects on the mission
Justin Reeder, a sergeant with the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, is in his ninth year riding with the group.
“It first started out as, ‘hey you like riding bikes, why don’t you go represent the agency and ride a bike for a fallen officer,’” Reeder said. “I had never heard of it and I dove in, did one ride and was hooked after that. It became more than just a bike ride — you really got to see how much pain and suffering these survivors deal with on a daily basis.”
Reeder said supporting survivors and raising money for organizations that directly assist them is what keeps him returning each year.
“It doesn’t matter if the officer passed away last week, last year, 100 years ago,” Reeder said. “There is still pain and suffering.”
Reeder said the ride also gives participants a chance to learn about the officers being honored.
“You also get to humanize that officer — it’s more than a name on the wall or on the truck,” Reeder said. “You learn who the officer was, the jokes that they had, their favorite song, their favorite food.”
Reeder encouraged the public to show support if they see the group on the road.
“I’ve said it multiple times throughout my years in this — the thin blue line, it’s not thin in Indiana, it’s truly thick and full of supporters,” Reeder said.
For more information or to donate visit copscycling4survivors.org.
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