BIKERS BENEFIT FOR KIDS RIDERS RAISE FUNDS TO PREVENT ABUSE.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Hoping to raise money and awareness while having fun, hundreds of riders clambered aboard their motorcycles Sunday to benefit a local youth and family support group.

Organizers said the ride was a departure from typical fund-raisers for the Child and Family Center of Santa Clarita Valley, a nonprofit organization that provides mental health and behavior-modification services aimed at preventing harm to children.

The Harvest Ride, aimed at widening the organization's circle of donors, was the idea of Chris Ingram, an avid motorcycle rider and a board member of the center's foundation.

``We do a lot of events with the same people, and we wanted to spread to a different and whole new group of people, while at the same time (to) put on something fun that was also a great fund-raiser,'' he said. ``We did not want to tap the same resources.''

About 700 people with 500 motorcycles were expected to participate in the 110-mile ride from Creekside Road through the canyons of Santa Clarita Valley to the College of the Canyons for lunch and a concert, said Pam Ingram. She and Chris Ingram co-chaired the event.

``I'm very pleased with the turnout,'' said Cheryl Jones, the center's marketing director, who hoped the event would raise about $50,000 for the center.

UPN Channel 13 news anchor Rick Chambers, a Santa Clarita resident, served as the grand marshal, and ``Baywatch'' actress Kelly Packard sang the national anthem. Karl McCarthy of Blue Barrel Disposal, a sponsor of the event, was honorary chairman.

The Child and Family Center, which serves more than 9,000 children and families each year, provides family and group therapy, crisis counseling for suicidal children, parent education, help for teen parents, drug and alcohol education and treatment. Child-abuse prevention is a goal of the center staff.

Butch Tobias said he liked the idea of raising money while doing something he enjoys.

``It's a good reason to come out,'' said Tobias, who learned about the event through his motorcycle club, the Shaggers of Southern California.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) A motorcyclist waits his turn to enter traffic Sunday on the Harvest Ride to benefit the Child and Family Center of Santa Clarita Valley.

(2 -- color) Hundreds ride motorcycles Sunday in a fund-raiser for services to help prevent child abuse in the Santa Clarita Valley.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News