(Radio Iowa) – A group known as the Siouxland Miracle Riders took off today (Monday) from Sioux City on a motorcycle benefit ride to Novia Scotia Canada. Lead rider Matt Thompson says the kids they are riding for with the UnityPoint Health Children’s Miracle Network will tell them which route to take.

“Every day the kids are going to tell us where we’re going that day, so it’s a new twist for us,” he says. “We love it because it makes the kids that we’re writing for. We get to interact with them on the ride. It makes it an interactive experience for them and they get to be a part of what we’re doing. So it’s pretty cool.” The kids will also have input on other aspects of the trip.

“They’re gonna give us some challenges, things to find Scavenger hunt. Like I want a photo with the moose or something like that. So we’re gonna try to do as much of that as we can and it’ll be interesting to see what the kids want to see,” Thompson says.Thompson says this year’s goal is to raise money to provided pediatric cardiac and ventilation equipment for the UnityPoint St. Luke’s ambulance.

“It’s our tenth annual ride, so we wanted to kind of do something special. So this year we upped our goal 50 percent actually. So usually we’re riding around that 50-thousand (dollars), this year we bumped it to 75,” he says. The Siouxland Miracle Riders have raised more than 400-thousand dollars so far. Thompson and six other riders are headed to Duluth, Minnesota on the first leg of the ride.

You can donate online at: www.miracleriders.com.