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Bridges is the state-designated local Mental Health Authority for Milford, Orange and West Haven. It offers recovery-focused services to support individuals with severe and prolonged mental illness and addiction problems. Several of our programs extend to serve residents of the surrounding communities of Ansonia, Bethany, Derby, Seymour, Shelton, and Woodbridge.
The mapped routes are broken into 20, 40, 50 and a 66 mile distances, with an added five and ten mile family fun ride. The route follows the shoreline from Milford Harbor to Fort Trumbull Point and back, with chip-timing and awards handed out to the top male and female finishers in a variety of age categories.
“People feel like its a really nice day to get together and show support,” Director of Development and Communications Marcy Hotchkiss said. “A lot of people that ride have family, friends and colleagues who are dealing with mental illness or substance abuse, so its a way to really come together and be supportive.
Exercise is a great way to improve your mental, physical and emotional health; that’s how we came up with the ‘Ride, Run Walk’ slogan.”
The event, which began in 1992, was inspired by two current members of the Bridges board who had participated in a five-borough ride through New York.
“It started really as a community awareness event rather than a fundraiser but we’ve seen it grow to where we’ve had over 500 participants,” remarked Hotchkiss. “I think the essence has stayed the same; we keep it affordable for people and it has a nice family atmosphere. Riders help each other out with directions and have a good time together.”
To learn more about Bridges and “Folks on Spokes”, visit www.bridgesct.org.