LUDLOW, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A tribute for fallen heroes took place this weekend ahead of Ride to Remember this summer. Saturday’s event raised money to help feed 500 law enforcement officers that will take part in the bike ride this September.

Ride to Remember Director John Delaney started the charity to honor fallen Springfield Police Officer Kevin Ambrose who was killed in the line of duty in 2012 — along with Westfield Officer Jose Torres who was killed in a dump truck accident that same year, “this ride was started fifteen years ago in honor of a friend of mine that got killed in the line of duty, Kevin Ambrose. I’ll never forget that day, and now it started that year and it’s grown ever since, where the first year we did it we had 170 riders now we have over 500 riders that do it in September.”

Delaney also said this year marks 15 years of the ride and September’s event will honor the fallen heroes of 9/11 — 25 years later.

Springfield Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers was also in attendance — emphasizing the importance of the event during police week, “people just want to get involved in this because it’s such a good event. We never want to forget the fallen officers -- this is police week and now we’ve gone through fallen officers, to correction officers, to firefighters, and EMTs and I just think it’s a wonderful event and I’ll always be a part of this.”

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