Sarasota locals participate in cross-country charity ride

It was a long road that lead Courtney Lambert to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast.

Actually, to be specific, it was a 2,500-mile road.

It started two years ago when friend’s of Lambert and her partner, Kory Souza, created a cross-country motorcycle ride to benefit Bikers Against Bullies, Youth and Family Services in South Dakota and the national chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The first ride attracted about 20 riders, but Lambert and Souza, both of Sarasota, weren’t among them. Then the next year rolled around.

“They said, ‘Oh, you guys have to do it! Please, come. It will change your life,’” Lambert said. “We’re like, ‘OK, that’s a little extreme.’”

Despite their skepticism, Souza agreed to participate in the 2016 ride.

Souza, with Lambert driving a trailer behind, road 2,500 miles from Santa Maria, Calif., to Sturgis, S.D.

“It’s really cool because throughout the ride someone from each of those organizations is there,” Lambert said. “It’s really emotional because we give them the check, and they talk about what they are going to use the money for; they bring some kids with them.”

When Big Brothers Big Sisters took the stage, Lambert understood what her friends meant. She doesn’t remember exactly what was said, but she remembers how the testimonies of the bigs and littles — shorthand for the adults and youth in the organization — made her feel. Her life was changed.

After the ride, she discovered Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast and applied to be a big sister. The organization facilitates mentorships between adults and area youth. The objective is to provide stability for children who might be living in unstable environments.

“The kids might not have the opportunity to do stuff outside of the house if they don’t have a big,” Lambert said. “They might not have parents at all, they may be with their grandparents. Their grandparents might be house-ridden and all these kinds of situations.”

After her interview with Mentor Manager Colleen Duffy, Lambert was matched with her little sister, Tayah, in May.

Even before she was matched, Duffy remembers Lambert coming into the Big Brothers Big Sisters office in April asking if she could buy Easter baskets for children. Not only did she buy baskets for a family of children, she brought a bouquet of flowers for their mother.

“I think that’s how Courtney is,” Duffy said. “She is teaching her little that kind of stuff — to be grateful and to be happy.”

On July 29, nearly a year after Lambert began her journey to Big Brothers Big Sisters, she’s hitting the road again on the ride that started it all.

She and Souza will once again be participating in the cross-country roll, but this year, Lambert won’t be driving the trailer. She’ll be on her bike with 100 other participants, riding more than 400 miles a day from the pre-party in Las Vegas to the official starting point in Santa Maria, Calif., and then on to Sturgis, S.D.

“It’s kind of like a parade when you see everybody go by,” Lambert said.

It’s quite the logistical undertaking. Lambert has to map out fuel stops and lodging in seven states across 3,500 miles. So far, fundraisers have garnered more than $130,000, but Lambert is hoping to bolster that to $150,000 during the ride with raffles and fundraising at each stop.

Although the money raised benefits the national chapter, Duffy said anything that helps Big Brothers Big Sisters as a whole helps the local branch as well.

“Now she has a story to tell,” Duffy said. “I think that’s really important for us.”

As for Lambert, it’s hard for her to chose a single part to which she is most looking forward. She’s excited to see the scenery and meet people at each of the stops, but one thing is for sure. Her friends were right.

“I will say now it totally changed our lives,” Lambert said.