Lake Wobegon Regional Trail Ride to benefit children

by Cori Hilsgen

news@thenewsleaders.com

The 11th annual Lake Wobegon Regional Trail Ride will take place Saturday, Sept. 10, but the event is not a race and is instead a family fun event.

This year, all riders will start at 9 a.m. in St. Joseph and ride round-trip to their preferred destinations and end in St. Joseph. Check-in for the event begins at 8:30 a.m.

Also new this year, there will not be any bus rides or bike transportation back to St. Joseph, except in cases of an emergency.

The donation to ride is $30 contributed before, or $35 on the day of, the event. Helmets are required.

Route options include riding from St. Joseph to Avon (9 miles or 18 miles round trip), Albany (15.9 miles or 31.8 miles round trip), Freeport (21.2 miles or 42.4 miles round trip), Melrose (27.2 miles or 54.4 miles round trip) or Sauk Centre (36.7 miles or 73.4 miles round trip).

The primary beneficiary of donations from the ride is the Catholic Charities’ St. Cloud Children’s Home. The residential-treatment home helps at-risk youth ages 9-18 by teaching them coping skills, and offering counseling and other services during their adolescence years.

Many of the children are victims of alcohol, drug or physical abuse, and have experienced family, school and other issues in their lives. Skills learned at the Children’s Home give them a chance to turn their lives around.

Chuck and Lucy Rieland, founders and directors of the ride, have helped organize the event since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.

Chuck said he hopes the event will raise a minimum of $100,000 this year.

“The St. Cloud Children’s Home is a home for some of the highest at-risk kids in the state,” Chuck said. “Ninety-seven percent of them are not there through their own fault.”

Funds raised from the event support scholarships for children whose insurance often runs out before they are prepared to leave the Children’s Home.

Catholic Charities Executive Director Steven Bresnahan said each year an average of seven youths and their families benefit from the “Lake Wobegon Scholarship Fund.”

Chuck is a first vice president and financial adviser for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, a brokerage firm that occupied 45 floors of the Trade Center. He has worked for the company for 32 years and works at the Wayzata branch office.

At the time of the attacks, because they had 18 minutes, many employees were able to evacuate the south tower of the center before the second plane hit, but many security personnel lost their lives after helping evacuate others.

The attack was horrifying and affected Chuck and Lucy very personally. After some soul-searching, Chuck and Lucy came up with the idea for the Lake Wobegon Trail Ride fundraiser.

Catholic Charities Communications Manager Beth Cummings said the Rielands have given so much of their time to raise the donated funds.

“Each year, youth and their families benefit from the Lake Wobegon Scholarship Fund,” Cummings said. “That’s youth who were able to extend their time at the Children’s Home to continue to receive treatment to increase their chances of success once they leave.”

Chuck, Lucy, daughter Brenda and husband Max Larson, son Greg and wife Sara, son Mark and four grandchildren (Carly, Matt, Joey and Amelia) have participated in making the ride an annual tradition for their family as well as for the Morgan Stanley employees and foundation.

Chuck said he is very appreciative of the time, encouragement and financial support people have so generously given.

“I am very humbled by what this has turned out to be,” Chuck said. “When I started the Lake Wobegon Regional Trail Ride, I did it to help find meaning after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. I needed to find some way to find hope in the carnage of that day. I found it in helping the youth at Catholic Charities’ St. Cloud Children’s Home. We are humbled to say the family fun ride has raised over $792,000.”

The Rielands have also been instrumental in raising funds for the Children’s Home through the annual golf fundraiser held in Albany. This year, 100 people participated in the Aug. 22 event, which included a silent auction.

Residents of the Children’s Home decorate bags for the event that are given to golfing participants. The bags are filled with golf balls, snacks, golfing tips and more. Last year’s golf event raised more than $11,000.

Last year, Catholic Charities recognized the Lake Wobegon Regional Trail Ride, and Chuck and Lucy, with a Good Samaritan Award for their efforts.

For registration information, visit ccstcloud.org/wobegonride.