-Submitted photo
Chad Attig took first place in the pocket tournament.
Empowering and caring for women was the focus of a charity ride held Saturday by the Lady Asphalt Riders, an offshoot of the nationwide Sisterhood of the Asphalt Ribbon.
The group, which has connections across the United States and includes three members from Fort Dodge, walked 115 miles through rural north and central Iowa to raise money for the Lotus Center, a nonprofit that helps local homeless women.
“After a previous club was unable to hold the event, we agreed to help,” Said Lady Azphalt President Regina Jones. “Members of our club have already worked on previous trips for the center, so we were happy to organize and carry out the trip.”
The ride, which stopped in Stratford, Paton and Lehigh, among other small towns, on a weather-perfect Saturday, attracted nearly 125 participants. There were also games for children, a bag tournament and live bands providing music throughout the day.
“We were so happy that the Lady Azphalt Group did this,” Said Ashley Bishop, director of the Lotus Center. “We were so grateful to everyone who participated and donated money to cover general expenses. We are a nonprofit organization, so opportunities like this are very important to us.”
The Lotus Center, located in the former St. John Lutheran Church near Vincent, is a home that provides 24/7 emergency shelter for women, their children and their families. The center opened in 2019 after founder Ashley Vaala experienced some of these circumstances in her own life. It has since also opened a secondhand store, Lotus Treasures, in Webster City.
“People come and go when they need accommodation,” Said Bishop. “It can take a day or even months. It depends on the situation and how long it takes them to get help. Ashley started this from scratch after having some problems in her own life. She was very determined to get this going and it’s turned out well.”
Jones and the Lady Azphalt riding group also have a keen sense for building women’s lives.
“You have to want to become a rider,” she said. “I wanted to do something to empower and encourage women.”
“It started with me driving alone,” she added. “One of my friends asked me to teach her how to ride a bike and others started to join in and that’s how the group was born. It boils down to us wanting to build a sisterhood and support each other in life.”
