Ride Against Child Abuse is an awareness event – but this time the focus is on child abuse. It takes place Sunday, May 17, and is part ride, part poker game, and a whole lot of fun.

Riders make a 50-mile loop through Bethel, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Easton, Monroe, Newtown, Redding and Trumbull. Riders can register at The Center’s headquarters, 753 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., where they pick up their first of five poker cards. Subsequent stops:

  • Card No. 2, Redding Fire House No. 1, 186 Black Rock Turnpike, Redding, 18.9 miles distance;
  • Card No. 3, Monroe Town Hall, 7 Fan Hill Road, Monroe, 43.1 miles distance;
  • Card No. 4, Trumbull Town Hall, 5866 Main St., Trumbull, 49.2 miles distance;
  • Card No. 5, Germania Schwaben Club, 416 Horace St., Bridgeport, for a total 54.5 mile ride.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The ride should take about 90 minutes to two hours, including stops. Participants should at the Germania Schwaben Club no later than 2 p.m. to show their poker hand. In addition to lunch, which will be served from noon to 2:30 p.m., the Germania Schwaben Club stop will also include prizes and raffles.

Cost is $25 per rider, $15 per passenger, which includes lunch. Or, non-riders can make a $15 for lunch at the Germania Schwaben Club.

For more information contact Pam Dougherty at 203-334-6154, ext. 21 or [email protected]

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR FAMILY JUSTICE

The Center for Family Justice Inc. (formerly The Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County Inc.), brings all domestic, sexual and child abuse services – crisis intervention, police, prosecutors, civil/legal providers, counseling – under one roof, in our headquarters in Bridgeport, CT. Together, we work to break the cycle of violence by helping those in crisis restore their lives. Although our name has changed, we continue with the work we have provided for 12 decades, providing free, confidential, bilingual crisis services in Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. It is the comprehensive services our partners are providing that are streamlining the road to healing and self-sufficiency.

Within the past year, The Center answered more than 950 calls on a 24-hour crisis hotline; assisted with the civil and criminal court processes for more than 2,500 survivors of domestic violence; responded to more than 500 survivors of sexual assault and their families; provided a safe home for more than 100 women and children fleeing domestic abuse; coordinated the investigations of more than 170 cases of child sexual and severe physical abuse, developing service plans for the young survivors and their families; and provided psycho-educational support to more than 1,200 survivors of domestic violence, planning for their safety and promoting self-sufficiency.

As part of our mission, The Center educates approximately 4,000 members of the community about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse to prevent future violence and spread the word that about the services we offer at The Center for Family Justice. Annually, we teach more than 2,000 children and teens about building healthy relationships, bullying prevention and dating violence.

For more information, visit www.CenterForFamilyJustice.org.

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