Local non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization Moms Demand Action-Whitewater will be hosting a free, family-friendly event in Fort Atkinson on Saturday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. The Wear Orange Family Bike/Hike is an opportunity to bring together families and raise awareness about America’s gun violence epidemic.  The event will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 8 at the Rotary Depot shelter along the Glacial River trail in Fort Atkinson, directly across from Family Video (303 S 3rd St W, Fort Atkinson). Trail maps and activity guides will be provided when individuals/families check in. People can bike or hike at their own pace with their families and enjoy the beauty of Fort Atkinson’s lovely Glacial River trail.

Participants are invited to wear orange clothing, snack on orange snacks and decorate their bikes with orange trimmings to honor of gun violence victims, including Hadiya Pendleton of Chicago, IL. After Hadiya was shot and killed in Chicago in 2013, just days after performing in President Obama’s second inaugural parade, her friends started the first National Gun Violence Awareness Day in June 2015. Hadiya’s favorite color was orange, so the event title became, simply, WEAR ORANGE. To learn more about this nationwide event, now in its 5th year, visit WearOrange.org, or join Moms Demand Action on June 8 for the Wear Orange Family Bike/Hike!

Around the country, Moms Demand Action volunteers are hosting Wear Orange events on the weekend of June 7-9 in order to raise awareness about gun violence and gun violence prevention efforts. Moms Demand Action is a non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization that works for gun violence prevention locally and nationally.  The group supports common-sense legislation including requiring criminal background checks on all gun sales, red flag laws to keep guns out of the hands of those who are a danger to themselves or others and legislation such as the Violence against Women Act, which includes important gun safety provisions that will protect women from gun violence and save lives. Moms is committed to promoting responsible gun ownership, and committed to supporting, connecting, and amplifying survivors of gun violence through the Everytown Survivor’s Network.

Many local partners are joining in the effort to bring this Wear Orange event to the community, including Whitewater Unites Lives, League of Women Voters-Whitewater, and others.

Jenny Rule, Chair of the local Moms Group, said, “Together we can end gun violence. We hope everyone in our communities will join us!”