‘We’re making a difference’: Riders club hosting concert for at-risk youth

Windsor's Bad Example Riders Club is set to host a concert, supporting at-risk youth on March 8, 2025. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

A Windsor-based riders club is hoping the iconic hits of Canadian rock band RUSH can help support underserved youth in the community.

Mario Ricci, the treasurer of the Bad Examples Riders Club, told CTV News their team has been “very busy” preparing for their 11th annual concert fundraiser on March 8.

The show, performed by Permanent Waves – A Show of RUSH, is in support of the Windsor Youth Centre and LaSalle Hangout for Youth.

As the Olde Walkerville Theatre is intended to be sold, for the first time, the fundraiser will be held at the Serbian Centre.

“Just the general public that, one wants to see the show, and two, they know that the funds generated from our work goes to help out a cause in the local area,” Ricci said.

The fundraisers began as a bid to save a Windsor-Essex summer camp from closing its doors. However, the Bad Examples now use the event to highlight lesser-known organizations in need of community support to help youth.

“The turnouts are fantastic, absolutely fantastic,” said Bad Examples Sgt. At Arms John Higgins.

“The kids that we help out in the community are people we’ll never meet, and we’re making a difference in people’s lives.”

The club said even if the funds from each event only help one child stay on the right path, it would still be worth it.

“We go and we’ve seen where the money is being spent, and the kids come out and thank us,” said club president Shane Anger.

“One year we went, and they came and sat on our bikes, like you could see the smiles on their faces, so it does make a big difference to them.”

On March 7, Ricci said a separate concert will be held at the same location by tribute act Simply Queen.

At each show, a “scrapture” made up of spare car parts will be auctioned off. Ricci noted the “scraptures” were donated by Pete Solly of MacDonald’s Automotive Supercentre.

Proceeds from the piece made to look like Queen frontman Freddie Mercury will be given to the Hospice of Windsor & Essex County, while the art showing RUSH’s Geddy Lee will support the same organizations as the show.

Tickets for the fundraising shows can be found here.