A motorcycle run set up to raise money for five charities later this month will include stops in Freeborn County during the event in southern Minnesota.

The fifth annual Ride for Hope will start in Owatonna at 10 a.m. June 22 from the Owatonna Eagles Club and go through Blooming Prairie, Geneva and Freeborn before passing through Elysian and then heading back to Owatonna.

Organizer Marcy Gallea, of Wenger Corp., said the event began just five years ago as a small fundraiser for the United Way, but it has since expanded to include the general public.

All money raised will be donated to the participant’s choice of one of the following:

• Relay for Life

• Special Olympics

• Diabetes Research Center

• Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program

• Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation

“We just believe that the five charities that we’re helping are great charities,” said Gallea.

The event is being sponsored by Wenger Corp. and the Owatonna Eagles Club.

Last year the ride raised more than $5,000, and this year the goal has been set at $10,000.

Gallea said anyone is invited to participate, and organizers are expecting at least 150 participants.

More than 30 businesses and individuals have also donated more than $2,500 in prizes for a raffle to be held at the end of the ride. Prizes include a flat screen TV, Twins tickets and Valleyfair tickets, to name a few.

Riders are asked to make a minimum donation of $20 per rider or $25 per double rider.