West Bloomfield Woman's Fundraising Bike Ride Helps Kids Stay Fit

Touched by the increasing problem of childhood obesity, two West Bloomfield women will hop on their bikes Saturday morning to help fight it. 

Danialle Karmanos' Work It Out in partnership with the DMC Children’s Hospital of Michigan (DKWIO), will host the fourth annual Motor City Bike Ride, and Connie Currie will be among the riders in 62-mile Metric Century Ride from Campus Martius in Detroit to Metro Beach Metropark. Karmanos said she will ride with first-time participants in a 20-mile Fun Ride around Belle Isle. 

The 62-mile ride includes stops at the Grosse Pointe Public Library and Fishbones in St. Clair Shores. At Metro Beach, Gourmet Everyday will serve lunch, and bikers can have any kinks massaged away before heading back to Campus Martius. 

"We were trying to think of a really innovative way to do something great for the charity that aligns with our values," Karmanos said of the ride, which is now in its fourth year. 

DKWIO uses a yoga-based approach to help children stay fit, improve their self-esteem and reduce anxiety. That touched Currie, who is a fitness instructor. She said she and her husband, who also has a fitness background, were "distraught by the fact that kids are not as active as they need to be." 

"Helping kids have an outlet and to mentally and physically strengthen themselves, it's something that hits our hearts," she said. "I find it amazing that Danialle put this all together." 

Karmanos said the event has room for 160 riders and should fill up with registrations Saturday morning. Grammy Award-winning artist Kem will be there to encourage riders, and GM has offered a custom convertible Camaro for Kem and a group of children to ride in to Belle Isle. 

She said DKWIO has thus far seen nothing but success.

"We've worked with 3,000 kids without a single negative incident," she said. "We've just had success story after success story. The kids are amazing, they really inspire us."