He may be the only member of the King family actually riding Saturday, June 15 in the Niagara Ride for Dad for prostate cancer, but for organizer Matt King, the event has always been about family.
Of course, family includes the Niagara Regional Police sergeant’s wife Patty and children Dawson and Julia, who all support him on the executive committee for the Niagara chapter of the ride, which takes place each year on Father’s Day weekend.
But it also includes his fellow NRPS officers who help with or participate in the 172-kilometre journey. It includes the members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 124 on King Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake, from where more than 200 riders lift their kickstands to begin. And it also includes the Ride for Dad chapters across the country, with whom King regularly connects and supports.
“We’re still trying to grease the wheels to get Dawson a motorcycle so he can ride, maybe next year,” King says of his son. “This has been a family thing for us for years. Even my mom is involved, and my dad used to come every year as well. He won’t be here this year, as he passed recently.”
King’s father never fought prostate cancer, but Matt talks about an uncle who was so encouraged by his nephew’s commitment to the Ride for Dad that he finally asked his doctor for a prostate-specific antigen test. The result was positive, he received treatment quickly enough, and he beat the disease.
As for the Legion, branches across Canada are known for playing host to or supporting the Ride for Dad.
“The Legion has been our partner for years,” says King. “It’s a way to pay back and honour our veterans. And they love seeing the bikes come in. We have more than 25 of these rides across Canada and they involve Legions everywhere. It’s a great partnership.”
Besides organizing the Niagara Ride for Dad, King sits on the national chapter advisory committee, where he connects with Ride for Dad chapters across Canada. He regularly travels to support other chapters. Already this year he rode his Harley Davidson in the Grand River and Kingston-Quinte Rides. He’ll also participate in the Maitland Valley Ride in August and the Golden Horseshoe Ride in September.
“Lots of riders do multiple runs,” King explains. “Not just people like me who are on the executive. I always hear great things about ours, though. They love riding on the Niagara Parkway.”
And when the riders head down King Street to make their way toward the Parkway at 9 a.m. Saturday, they will be led by four or five of King’s colleagues on their NRPS motorbikes.
Over the previous 14 rides in the region, 2,400 riders aged 16 to 80-plus have raised $795,000 for prostate cancer research, initiatives and awareness. King is hoping the 2024 ride pushes the total past the million dollar mark.
“The money raised here stays here,” says the 50-year-old, “We just presented $60,000 to Brock University so they can continue their research into plant-derived phenols that help with prostate cancer. It’s research being done in our backyard. We do support some national studies as well.”
Each year’s Niagara Ride begins with a speech by a celebrity ride captain. Dr. Abhirami (Abby) Hallock, a radiation oncologist with the Walker Family Cancer Centre, fills that role this weekend.
“They are doing some very interesting things right there at Walker,” King adds. “She works closely with (urologist) Dr. Patrick Anderson who is on our committee. It’s nice to have that first-hand input from him on our committee, too.”
King also points out that one his colleagues on the committee is currently in his own fight against prostate cancer.
“Ted Borowski is an inspiration to all of us,” King says of his paramedic friend. “He’s working through his treatment while we plan this. He is a stellar man.”
He stresses, too, that it’s not just Harley Davidson riders who participate. King expects a number of sport bikes, trikes, three-wheeled Spyders and even a few Polaris Slingshots to take off from the Legion parking lot. And he loves to see younger riders involved as well.
“The big thing here is I want to get guys talking about it,” King insists. “You’ll see here, with 225 motorcycles in this parking lot, guys talk about who they are riding for. Some of them have prostate cancer. If we can get people to talk, get them in to get tested, and get them treated if they need it, that’s what this is all about.”
