Participants in the 29th annual Jimmy’s Ride arrive at Bousquet Mountain in Pittsfield. The annual Jimmy’s Ride fundraiser will not take place this year due to declining participation, organizers say.

PITTSFIELD — After 30 years of honoring Jimmy Bernardo’s memory through motorcycle processions, the annual Jimmy’s Ride fundraiser will not take place this year due to declining participation.

Instead, the Bernardo family and the Berkshire County Kids’ Place and Prevention Center — an organization that advocates and provides services for children who have experienced abuse — will sponsor two scholarships, each worth between $500 and $1,000 for one senior from Taconic High School and another from Pittsfield High School.

“For quite some time we have had lower turnout than we used to,” said Heather Williamson, program director for Kids’ Place. While the event attracted 130 motorcyclists in 2018, last year only 20 participated. In years past, the money raised from participant registration and from a raffle at the end of the ride funded Kids’ Place programs.

“We really still want to keep Jimmy Bernardo’s name alive, and his memory,” she said.

The Bernardo family lost their son Jimmy, 12, in 1990 after he was abducted and murdered by a child predator.

The Bernardo family lost their 12-year-old son, Jimmy, in 1990 after he was abducted and murdered by a child predator. In 1994, the family partnered with advocates for child abuse awareness to raise money for the creation of the Kids’ Place, leading to the first Jimmy’s Ride — then a walkathon.

The center, located at 63 Wendell Ave., supports child victims of abuse by providing counseling and partnering with law enforcement to prosecute abusers while maintaining a comfortable environment for children.

Jimmy’s Ride, which raised $17,000 for Kids’ Place last year, had previously been a reliable source of funding for the nonprofit. To fill that gap, the Kids’ Place Board is considering organizing another opportunity for fundraising, Williamson said.

Community members who previously contributed to the fundraiser are encouraged to support the Jimmy Bernardo Scholarship Fund, Williamson said.

“This new scholarship transforms remembrance into opportunity, empowering young people to become advocates for safer, stronger communities,” said Lori Goodell, Kids’ Place Board chair.

Berkshire County Kids’ Place and Prevention Center, located at 63 Wendell Ave., will sponsor a new memorial scholarship, along with the Bernardo family, to honor Jimmy.

District Attorney Timothy J. Shugrue, who helped found the Kids’ Place in 1994, said that the scholarship will carry on Jimmy’s legacy.

“The scholarship offers a meaningful way for those seeking to honor Jimmy to support Berkshire County kids, and also provide funding [and] awareness surrounding child abuse prevention,” he said.