Television star Erik Estrada returned to Muncie on Saturday to participate in one of the many motorcycle rides Blue Knights International put together to help a cause.
About 400 residents of Muncie and surrounding cities, along with Estrada, participated in the 2010 memory ride Golden Living Center in Muncie to raise funds for the Delaware County Alzheimer's Association. Before the ride, participants were able to have breakfast with the Estrada, during the "Breakfast with Ponch" fundraiser.
Participants and patients were also able to take photos with the actor until it was time to take their motorcycles and take out for the ride. The ride was set for them to leave Muncie and end on Morrow's Meadow in Yorktown.
Blue Knights picks a charity every year and helps raise money through its bike rides around the country, calling for people to join them and pay a small participation fee. At the end of the year, the funds are distributed among organizations that work for the cause Blue Knights chose.
This was not the first time Estrada visits Muncie. He came to Muncie in 2006 to film "Armed and Famous," a reality television series that had celebrities served in the Muncie Police Department. CBS aired four episodes of the show before dropping it midway through the first season.
"I came back because I'm a member of the Blue Knights," Estrada said. "I do four or five rides with the Blue Knights every year over the country. This is one of my stops every year, with the Muncie Department to help them."
Estrada has helped in several Muncie fundraisers since the show. He has returned to Muncie at least once a year to participate in the police department's "shop with a cop" program in December. However, the actor was unable to make the last "shop with a cop" event because he was filming in Chile for an upcoming role.
"As human beings we should have a sense of responsibility for fellow human beings," Estrada said. "I happen to be well known, which is a blessing because I can bring other people out. For this cause, just because a person has Alzheimer's doesn't mean it only affects them but it affects their family."
The event was a success for Ben Wells, executive director of Golden Living Center.
"It was great. It's bringing a lot of awareness to Alzheimer's," he said. "[Estrada] definitely has a passion for community service and for people. That's who he is."
Golden Living Center sponsors other events throughout the year to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease, like its annual memory walk and "shop with a cop."
Many of the people riding Saturday have been active participants in charities. Many of the participants arrived from riding for another fundraiser in Muncie, the annual "Baer-Back Ride."
Cindy York, a Muncie resident, said her husband and her have participated in similar events every year.
"We don't ride on all [fundraisers], only those that catch our attention," she said. "Usually it's the cause that motivates us to participate."
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