Motorcycle riders are hitting the highway to support children’s mental health

SIDNEY— The 15th Annual Pony Express Ride to support children’s mental health rode through Sidney Thursday morning.

Motorcyclists ride from Kearny to the State Capital building in Lincoln, while making stops at daycares to pick up letters from kids along the way.

Children write about their family situations and mental health in the letters addressed to Governor Pete Ricketts.

The Pony Express stopped at “Family 4ward” and “Kids Corner” daycares in Sidney.

Coordinator for The Pony Express Ride Holly Stevens said, “We appreciate these communities, they feed us along the way, they support us, and they get the letters so we can take them in.”

This endeavor takes the riders four days because of all their stops along the way.

“It’s very imperative that we recognize the mental health issues up to the age of 14 and we are able to get them adequate help,” Stevens said. “By the early 20's it’s set in and there’s not a lot of resources for that age range, and that’s why we are rumbling the roads to create that awareness so that we can get those services in place for them.”

Steven said they gather and deliver 8,000 to 15,000 letters from kids.

“It’s a phenomenal experience to be able to know we are making a difference,” Stevens said.