WESTON, WI (WSAU) — This weekend brings the 3rd annual Jay’s Ride fundraiser to Dale’s Weston Lanes, a fundraiser for the Weiland Criminal Justice Scholarship at Northcentral Technical College.
Josh Preiser, a close friend of Weiland, started the bike ride as an alternative to the traditional road race/fun run fundraiser, but this year says they’ve added that to the mix as well.
“Everyone does a run or a walk, and we wanted to start out with something different,” he said. “And as I was planning this out, I figured the best thing to do if we wanted to keep this an annual thing was to add a secondary charity that’s also law-enforcement related.”
This year that’s Crossroads K9’s for Cops, a group that helps train police dogs. Preiser says they selected the charity back in February, not knowing how timely the donation would become following the recent death of a K9 officer in Stevens Point.
Preiser says between 80 and 85 percent of the funds raised go towards the Weiland scholarship fund. Each year’s secondary charity then gets between 10 and 15 percent, with the remaining funds kept back for operational expenses that are incurred between events.
The bike ride will take off from Weston Lanes at 1 PM. The 5K run/walk launches at 5 PM. Live entertainment and music will begin after the 5K and last through midnight.
That includes walk-about magician James David and live music from the band Rising Phoenix from 8 PM to midnight.
In the two previous years, the event has raised nearly $20,000 for the various charities. Preiser says that will help the Weiland Scholarship cover expenses for one second-year criminal justice student at NTC during the 2020-21 school year.
Online registration for the event closes at midnight Thursday, but walk-up registration for both the bike ride and 5K will be taken on Saturday.
More information on the day’s schedule, raffle baskets, and more can be found here.
