ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. -- Dozens of bicyclists hit the streets Friday morning in an effort to raise awareness for missing and exploited children.
The 11th annual 100 mile ride started out at New Era Field with planned stops at schools across Erie County throughout the day.
Since its creation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited (NCMEC) Children has gotten reports of more than 4 million missing children and has helped recover about 200,000 of them. To help curb this trend they plan to stop along the way to educate kids at local schools and about the issue.
It's a personal cause for so many and especially close to the hearts of NCME board member, Scott Berne, and cyclist John Eisman.
"My father got custody of me at age ten and my mother immediately after that kidnapped me and we traveled the world for two years, lived in five countries, 13 different residencies, [we] changed names never going to school,” said Berne.
"My family got involved back in the early 1980s. Unfortunately [my sister] has gone missing and later was found murdered, her and her friend,” said Eisman.
Scott's mother was later caught with him and his brother in Houston, Texas, and the siblings were eventually returned to their father.
The case for Eisman’s sister has recently been reopened, but still remains unsolved.