When Jeri Griffin (from left) rides in the “For Women Only” trail ride in Gaylord, her daughter Brenda DeRosha and granddaughter Ariane DeRosha will join her. Mrs. Griffin is excited to have three generations of her family participating in this event at the same time. This is Ms. DeRosha’s first time participating. (Photograph courtesy of Ariane DeRosha) As the forest trail breaks into an open field, the snowmobile riders dismount to make a snowman, one of the traditional activities during the Easter Seals “For Women Only Snowmobile Ride. The February ride is a tradition, itself, and this year will celebrate its 25th year raising money to help children cope with disabilities.

There is the feeling of independence with a women-only trail ride, where women are solely responsible for all of the repairs and trail decisions.

This annual fundraising event changes young people’s lives, the riders say. Those efforts go much further than the 100 miles the riders will travel that day. The proceeds assist children with disabilities to be more independent in their daily lives.

The Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club is consistently one of the most well represented clubs at the Easter Seals “For Women Only” snowmobile ride that raises funds for children with disabilities. Making the journey to the event, held February 3 through February 5 in Gaylord this year, will be (from left) Jean Sommers, Carol Holland, Jeri Griffin, Kaye Houk, and Dee Dee Bickham. Not pictured are Diana Peterson, Sharon Sherlund, and Rhonda Maisano. (Photograph courtesy of the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club) “You’re always thinking about it,” said Dee Dee Bickham of the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club. “It helps the whole family become closer to one another. We’ve seen firsthand how it has made a difference.”

The ride Friday, February 3, through Sunday, February 5, is in Gaylord this year, but for the past 2.5 decades has been rotated between Gaylord, Sault Ste. Marie, and Grayling. It attracts snowmobilers from throughout the state.

Easter Seals requires that each participant raise a minimum of $500 before they are able to ride. Riders solicit donations from friends, family members, and businesses.

Members of the Les Cheneaux Snowmobile Club, however, often set the bar to exceed this amount. They hold fundraisers of their own, such as can collections, car washes, and raffles. They have taken home the award for sending the most participants to this event nearly every year for the past decade.

The club will send 10 women to Gaylord this year. Participants include Mrs. Bickham, Rhonda Maisano, Jean Sommers, Jeri Griffin, Diana Peterson, Sharon Sherlund, and Carol Holland of the Les Cheneaux area. Three of the club’s downstate members will join them: Kaye Houk of Rogers City, and Brenda and Ariane DeRosha of Traverse City. The latter two are the daughter and granddaughter of Mrs. Griffin, a club member who has devoted 20 years to this ride.

After her first year, Mrs. Griffin had such a good time that she convinced Mrs. Bickham to go with her the following year. It was an obvious choice, they said. Both women loved to snowmobile, putting hundreds of miles on their sleds each winter.

The ride has a deeper meaning than the enjoyment of snowmobiling. Easter Seals invites all participants in the ride to spend time with a family they’ve helped. The meetings drive home the impact of the fundraiser.

Children with autism are among those who are helped by the Easter Seals Children’s Developmental Therapies and Services. Mrs. Griffin recalled hearing how these services benefitted one family in particular.

“I didn’t really realize all the ramifications of autism when I started,” Mrs. Griffin said. “The mother of an autistic boy related how there was a point where she couldn’t touch him, hug him, or make direct eye contact. Through the help of Easter Seals, he reached a point where he was hugging not only her, but everyone at the trail ride who had helped him.”

The support from the community, former riders, and people in the restaurants where they stop for lunch has been similarly touching.

“We are recognizable by our brightly colored vests, which denote the group we are with,” Mrs. Bickham said. “Patrons in the restaurant who are aware of our cause will often approach us with donations.”

This support empowers the women to ride, no matter what the weather is.

“We’ve driven in blizzards where riders got disoriented and finished the ride with groups different than the ones they started with,” Mrs. Griffin said. “We came up with a vest system after that. We’ve also driven in below zero weather. It was so cold, we had to keep stopping to put our helmets on the engine block to melt the ice.”

Mrs. Sommers earned recognition two years ago as Easter Seals’ “Philanthropist of the Year.” She earned this honor by raising more than $100,000 for the cause, a feat she accomplished during only 12 trail rides.