Riding for a Purpose

15-year-old Amy Driver’s initiative to raise awareness of domestic violence is rapidly gaining momentum.

“Domestic violence is not limited to disadvantaged or poor homes or communities. It can happen in any home, as well as upmarket areas, because domestic violence knows no boundaries,” said Amy Driver, a grade 10 pupil at Holy Rosary High School..

The initiative was created by Amy to commemorate her aunt Ms Liesl Cohen, a mother of two who was murdered by her husband on June 17, 2010. Ms Cohen was stabbed multiple times.

“The initiative is for my two cousins who lost their mother and I thought this was my year to make a difference. It is a stand against domestic violence,” said Amy.

Amy’s mother, Ms Shareen Driver, recalls how the Ride for a Purpose initiative started.

“Amy came to me saying she wanted to do something meaningful and something more than going around and selling raffle tickets. I told her if she wants to raise awareness, she must realise that it is a lot of hard work, especially if she is going to do something worthwhile. The Oscar Pistorius case opened up a lot of wounds for my family again. We looked at that and Amy asked me why does everyone make a big fuss over this woman? It is very sad that she died, but Liesl also died in a traumatic manner. Amy asked if it is because Liesl is not famous that nobody cares,” said Ms Driver.

“I told her to do something about it and that she must write something about how she feels and what she has bottled up. That’s when she came up with the initiative and I told her if she is serious about it, I am in the right industry and we can make it happen. That’s when Amy put together a presentation which we brought to the school and pitched to the principle, the school governing body and teachers. They all loved it,” said Ms Driver.

“The mother and daughter school project turned into a powerful initiative with a huge potential. The response from the school, sponsors and the biker’s fraternity has been phenomenal. We had the launch of the Ride for Purpose initiative at the Holy Rosary School in February and it was mind blowing. Amy stood on that stage and told the school of how her aunt was murdered as a result of domestic violence. Everyone was moved by it,” said Ms Driver.

According to Amy, “Since the launch of the initiative, I have already had so many girls come out and open up to me.. It feels good to have spoken about my experience regarding domestic violence. It has given other girls at my school the encouragement to speak about something that is not, or rarely, spoken about. This initiative has given me a lot of strength to be open with people.”

“I hope this outreach can turn into an annual event, in which every year a girl from the school comes forward and tells her story. We hope we can go to other schools in the area because there is a child everywhere who wants to open up and talk about domestic violence,” Amy added.

The Ride for a Purpose event will culminate in a JMPD supervised motorbike rally from Holy Rosary School to Hartebeesport Dam on March 30. On the day, the mass ride will depart from Holy Rosary School’s Shanahan Park in Adjuntant Road, Elma Park, at 9am.

“I am excited but at the same time I am nervous. It is going to be a nice day with bands and motorbikes. The teachers at the school have been very supportive, telling me well done on doing it. My close friends are shocked that I am doing this and it has been amazing to see how they have supported me. Even other girls at the school are always coming up to me asking how the initiative is going and how they can help,” said Amy.

“Speaking out helps people heal. Children should not go through life blaming themselves for domestic violence at home because they weren’t able to help. You cannot judge people and say that domestic violence is something that affects poor people, or people of a particular race or class. It can happen to anyone. We live in Edenvale and Bedfordview. We hide behind our big walls, drive fancy cars and we never tell people what happens behind closed doors. Amy stood on that stage and told everybody at the school that they don’t have to be embarrassed by this, telling them to do and say something,” said Ms Driver.

“Amy is still young and she doesn’t realise what she has done and what impact this initiative is having. I am so proud of Amy for doing this because it helps us heal. Liesl’s children are excited that they doing something for their mother,” said Ms Driver.

“After seeing Liesl’s body, I remember thinking that nobody deserves this. It sits with me and I will never forget it. There were so few people at my sister’s funeral. It was a private funeral because of the traumatic way she died. This initiative will be her send-off. I want her children to remember this initiative, knowing that when their mother died she wasn’t hidden from the world. Instead, her story became a powerful initiative that has helped a lot of people,” said Ms Driver.

“I would like to thank my mom; I love her so much. She is my role model. Honestly, this initiative comes down to my mom. I hope that when I leave school, I can go out into the world and be someone I am proud of, while also being involved in other initiatives that help people, as well as inspiring people to spread awareness about issues that affect their lives,” said Amy.