A Sad Farewell from TheCenter:
Turning Tragedy Into Triumph - Kacie’s Ride For Hope Ends Run After Raising Close To $200,000 For Victims of Domestic Violence.
Kacie’s Ride for Hope to End Domestic Violence turned tragedy into triumph after more than 11 years of educating the community about domestic violence. Pat Barron, his late wife Sharon and a dedicated circle of friends created a legacy that will endure long after the roar of their motorcycles fades from the mountains.
In July 2006, 40-year-old Kacie Barron was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend in the driveway of her Placerville home. Kacie Barron loved riding motorcycles and in September 2006 Kacie’s brother Pat Barron gathered a small group of Kacie’s friends to do a motorcycle run to honor his sister. They decided to ride to Hope Valley which was Kacie’s favorite run. Little did he know that he would turn honoring Kacie’s memory into hope for thousands of victims of domestic violence.
Pat established Kacie’s Ride for Hope to End Domestic Violence, a nonprofit organized to host a motorcycle run through Hope Valley every year with the goal of educating the community about domestic violence and raising funds for The Center for Violence-Free Relationships, the agency that helped Kacie as she sought to leave her ex-boyfriend.
The ride started small with about 75 riders in 2006, and grew to host over 400 riders in recent years. Kacie’s Ride for Hope was a very popular event that drew in motorcycle riders from all across California, Oregon and Nevada to make the run from downtown Placerville through Hope Valley.
Raising close to $200,000 over the past 11 years, Kacie’s Ride for Hope has provided safety and shelter to families fleeing violent homes. The Center used funds raised through Kacie’s Ride to help victims by providing counseling for them and their children, by providing legal assistance to help with custody and child support issues, restraining orders and divorce filings. Thousands of victims and their children have been helped over the years all due to Pat honoring his sister’s memory.
In 2014, The Center for Violence-Free Relationships dedicated their 18-bed safe house to Kacie Barron. Now called Kacie’s House, A Place of Healing, A Place of Hope, it welcomes families fleeing from violence and lets them know that there are wonderful folks in the community that support and care about them. Those entering Kacie’s House hear the fantastic story of how one woman’s struggle ended and how it sparked the creation of something powerful that would bring healing and hope to so many in our community.
This September there will be no rumble of bikes roaring to life to remember one of their own whose life was cut short, but there will be memories that last a lifetime for those that helped build a legacy to honor Kacie Barron… and she will live on in the memories of those that come to Kacie’s House broken but leave healed and full of hope.
Kacie’s Ride for Hope will not be held this year, but there are still families that need your help. If you would like to make a donation in honor of Kacie Barron or Kacie’s Ride for Hope please visit www.thecenternow.org.
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Thank YOU to all the Volunteers!
On behalf of the Board of Directors, the staff and the volunteers at The Center for Violence-Free Relationships, we want to humbly thank Pat Barron and all of the wonderful volunteers at Kacie’s Ride for Hope.
You all have made a difference and you have truly touched so many lives. We will wait to see what your next adventure will be.
Pat Barron
Sharon Swayze Barron
Jay Aliff
Richard Artz
Deanna Austin
Linda Barbour
Stacey Bixby
Becky Boltz
Katherine Boone
Robert Bowen
Janet Bradley
Niki Breedlove
Ron Breedlove
Stefani Breedlove
Tim Breedlove
Tori Breedlove
Jenny Bridges
Jessica Bridges
Skylar Brooks
Shaelyn Butler
Don Carlsun
Jerri Carlsun
Micaela Carrero
Eric Christopherson
Gregg Cinnamon
Natalee Sue Clark
Milana Cleveland
Jason Crol
Dale Daneman
Conner Dashnan
Patty David
Debbie de Ryk
Kevin de Ryk
Elena DeLacy
Alicia Denhart
Myrrh Dodgson
Jeremy Daniel Donaldson
Alicia Donhardt
Jennifer Dorrell
David Duncan
Jessica Duncan
Rebecca Duncan
Troy Duncan
Valmarie Duncan
Troy Duncan, Jr.
Bonnie East
Brittany Faria
Sally Flake
Jim Gibford
Patricia Gibford
Grant Gibson
Angie Glace
Jalyn Gonsalves
Megan Gonzales
Karen Gould
Henry Gracia
Deloris Griggs
David Hall
Dale Hansen
Lorene Hansen
Rich Hefner
Jeremy Henderson
Tammy Hileman
Erik Holst
Luana Holst
Nathan Holverstott
Donna House
Roger House
Angel Hutchens
Calee Hutchens
Steven Hutchens
Calee Hutchinson
Nancy Hyzer
Lindsay Jarvis
Charlotte Jefford
Gary Johnson
Gene Johnson
Stephanie Johnson
Taylor Johnson
Austin Jones
Billy Jones
Teresa Jones
Tyler Jones
Nichole Kane
Rebecca King
William King
James Kohlstedt
Kelly Kohlstedt
Brandie Lamb
Dan Larkin
Scott Layton
Steve Leandro
Samantha Lewis
Paul Lewis, Sr.
Lindsey Loy
Johnner MacDonald
Betsy MacGillivray
Merrily Maloney
Lorraine Matthews
Newton Matthews
Patricia McIntyre
Taylor McLendon
Kathryn McNeil
Lee-ann Mendoza
Elizabeth Mesena-Tharp
Tripp Mikich
Kandie Mincks
Ron Moore
Katie Mueller
Philip Navarro
Jerry Neilsen
Nancy Neilsen
Marty Oberlander
Ashley Obrien
Kelly Osborne
Patricia Owens
Cathy Parker
Ben Parks
Joshua Pepper
Abby Piker
Cali Piker
Danielle Missy Piker
Gracie Piker
Karen Pitts
Tiffany Plotts
Eunice Pond
Sarah Pond
Anthony Portillo
Eric Portillo
Hunter Portillo
Jo Rasmussen
Norma Ray
Susan Read
Kamie Richardson
Karen Rogers
Karen Schambach
Phillis CMA Schlitt
Alexander Schwartz
Chris Schwartz
Diane Lin Schwartz
Lilly Schwartz
Nick Selbman
Curtis Shampine
Erin Shampine
George Shampine
Doug Shelstad
Liz Shelstad
Jennifer Shields
John Sikora
Sharai Smith
Danielle Sneed
Penny Sneed
Robin Souza
David Springer
Jennifer Stilwell
Irene Stites
Brittny Sutton
Duane Swanson
Michelle Szetela
Jamie Talley
Tony Tamburelli
David Tharp
Elizabeth Tharp
Guy Swayze Tharp
Hailey Tharp
Marissa Tharp
Tessa Tharp
Frank Todd
Laura Todd
Dustin Trevino
Nicole Trevino
Ashea Tucker
John Tucker
Kenneth Utley
Ashley Vargas
George Vargas
Lisa-Anne Vargas
Annie Walker
Nikolaus Walls
Ann Warren
Gary Warren
Desinee Weinberger
Bailey West
Cassidy Whitecotton
Jann Williams
Linda Williams
Ted Williams
Allicia Willis
Karen Willis
Sarah Willis
Tamara Wilson
Thomas Wilson
Stefani Young
Stacie Zakskom
Marie
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