Ride along with the CPPD Behavioral Evaluation Assessment Team
The City of Poughkeepsie’s behavioral health team has regular rounds in the city to connect people in need of services with help.
Patrick Oehler, Poughkeepsie Journal
It’s heartwarming, Mac Dorris said, realizing that what began as an attempt to extract some positive from a tragedy has blossomed into a movement and contributed to saving lives.
The Ride for Mental Health, which has become a summer staple in New Paltz, has raised more than $1.2 million for treatment and support pertaining to mental illness. The event itself also has become somewhat of a cathartic platform for anyone impacted to share stories or advice, and offer comfort.
Those emotional conversations and the relationships forged, Dorris said, are as significant an element of the annual gathering as the fundraising.
The Ride for Mental Health returns next weekend, from June 22-23, again offering bike paths of varying distance and difficulty through bucolic areas in Ulster County, while promoting education and discussion of a pervasive illness.
The event begins at the Ulster County Fairgrounds and its paths include a 50-mile “North” route, 50-mile “South” route and a 100-mile trek, along with 25-mile path and a 14-mile Rail Trail on flat land. The paths carry riders past landmarks including Mohonk Mountain, the Ashokan Reservoir and the Minnewaska State Park Preserve. There also is an option to ride along virtually.
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Participants will be provided a cycling jersey, socks and a water bottle. Offered after the cycling on Saturday is a catered dinner, during which much of the bonding and the conversations take place.
Dorris, who turns 70 next month, said he likely will ride the 50-mile north path on Saturday and then do “50 South” on Sunday.
Donors and interested cyclists can register at RideForMentalHealth.org and, available to those who sign up this week, is a discount code “LC2024,” which reduces the registration fee by $50. They’re also still seeking volunteers to provide assistance along the courses.
“We’re encouraging families to come out and try the Rail Trail ride from Huguenot Street in New Paltz to the Rosendale Trestle,” Dorris said, adding that registration for a family of four is $100. “I think it’s a good thing for kids to attend. It’s never too early to start talking to them about mental health.”
The event raises money for McLean Hospital in Massachusetts, which is renowned for its psychiatric care, along with local nonprofits including the New Paltz Youth Program and the Maya Gold Foundation, a New Paltz-based charity geared toward youth outreach that was started in memory of Maya, a 15-year-old who took her life.
More than 20% of Americans struggle with mental health issues, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, so this issue impacts most families to some degree.
Eric Dorris was an outpatient at McLean, receiving treatment for borderline personality disorder, but he died eventually of a drug overdose in 2016. His passing inspired his father to create this charity. Mac Dorris is a Brooklyn resident, but he owns a home in New Paltz and bikes often in the Hudson Valley.
The Ride typically draws about 400 participants each year since its return to in-person riding following the pandemic. More than $216,000 was raised last year.
Several charities and foundations dedicated to mental health awareness have emerged in recent years, some borne of similar familial tragedies, including a few based locally. James’s Warriors is a Hudson Valley suicide prevention organization established in honor of James Thomas, a Roy C. Ketcham High School graduate who took his life in 2019.
As well, some area high school and college sports teams have contributed to fundraising and promoting Morgan’s Message, a nonprofit that seeks to raise awareness about mental illness among young athletes.
Dorris plans to travel to Salt Lake City a day after The Ride concludes to speak at a conference being hosted by the Huntsman Foundation. That group donated $150 million to the University of Utah in 2021 to start the Huntsman Mental Health Institute.
“It’s a great thing,” Dorris said of the mental health-based charities being established. “A lot of these stem from people hurting after losing a loved one, and they want to do something to help others. These foundations are shedding more light on the issues, generating more conversations, and that all contributes to us making progress.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4