Grace Blackburn

• Update - June 22, 2025, 9:16 p.m.

  

• Update - June 22, 2025, 9:12 p.m.

  

This will be my 10th year to ride Christian Encounter Ranch-CER's Agony Ride. In the past years I have written to you about 1) CER is a worthy cause that supports children who hit rock-bottom, were either abused, surrounded by bad influences, failed by our system or made the wrong choices. 2) CER & staff wisely utilizes your donation for the children. They receive no government funding. Staff sacrificed personally during lean times and in recent years have been able to grow the program due to your donations and support. 3) CER has over 80% success rate. CER wants them to not only graduate high school, but also become contributing leaders in our communities and will work with them until they are 25. 4) CER is Christian-based with students taught faith by example. The hope is the children chose to be helped along a Christ-led path. However, children of all faith are accepted & helped, and not all who succeed believe in Christ. 5) I grew up in a very financially-poor, single-parent home and personally know people that could have been any of these students, but there wasn't a CER for them.

This year, I share why I volunteer. I have been blessed to have many people mentor, guide, support me to who I am today. There's one person who did this all my life, my mom. As some of you know, my mom recently passed away. She believed that even though we were poor, that there were always people less fortunate than us. If we help them then our life is enriched by our realizing our life is blessed and rich in many other ways. She was always grateful. She had plenty to pray for with her many hardships in her life but her prayer was usually in gratitude to God. She loved volunteering at The Agony Ride. When she found out pickles help prevent or lessen cramping, she’d say “pickles, pickles, eat pickles.” Attached is a picture of her before a ride with Tom, Amy and me. The second picture is when I came in after riding all night. She was grateful I was safe. Please sponsor my ride in memory of my mom, a grateful volunteer who counted her blessings from God.

Please sponsor these youths and my ride. As I ride, it's these students and interns that encourage and support the riders. While I ride and you sponsor, we prove to them that they are loved and their lives are worthwhile. Please pray that there are no fires and smoke while we train and during the 2025 ride.

Thank you for your support, prayers and encouragement! Message me if you want to join the ride or help SAG (support the riders)!

To make a pledge to support Grace now, click the Sponsor Grace button.

Grace's Previous Rides

9 rides, 1,660 miles ridden, $84,192.82 raised

• 2024: 223 miles, $22,924.91 raised

• 2023: 190 miles, $14,636.20 raised

• 2022: 176 miles, $11,163.67 raised

• 2021: 140 miles, $8,451.00 raised

• 2020: 217 miles (virtual), $7,899.35 raised

• 2019: 212 miles, $6,165.50 raised

• 2018: 202 miles, $6,514.69 raised

• 2017: 190 miles, $4,376.50 raised

• 2016: 110 miles, $1,811.00 raised