The Dick Melloni Youth Foundation is gearing up for a milestone: Its 10th annual Foundation Fifty-Five Charity bicycle ride, which will now feature fun for families.

The foundation, named for Richard H. Melloni, a former Wareham fire chief who died suddenly in 1993, was formed to support the health and education of area youth. The bicycle ride fundraiser helps the foundation pay for its many programs, including a literacy program in which books are given to children at regularly scheduled "well-child" doctor visits, and Lids-4-Kids, an initiative to provide bicycle helmets to area youth in an effort to prevent cycling-related head injuries.

The Fifty-Five Charity Ride is a 55-mile pedal from Buzzards Bay to Plymouth and back. The tour begins with a ride along the Cape Cod Canal, heads through the Myles Standish State Forest, rolls through Onset, and ends where it began on the Cape Cod Canal. This year's ride is scheduled for Sunday, September 18.

The Buzzards Bay start point, located at the Cape Cod Canal railroad bridge, is new this year to allow for the foundation's first ever Family Fun Ride. The ride previously began at the Onset Pier.

"We're hoping that [the family fun] part of the ride is going to grow," said Kim Melloni, who co-founded the charity ride in 2001 with fellow Board of Director member John Scheub.

Families ride down the Cape Cod Canal and have a choice of completing anywhere from one to 14 miles.

Melloni and Scheub said they hope the new aspect of the fundraiser will introduce more children to cycling as well as philanthropy.

"Every penny that [children] raise for this ride goes back to their school," Melloni said, adding that both the Minot Forest and John W. Decas elementary schools have been invited to participate.

Children without bicycle helmets will be given a free helmet before the ride.

Registration for the Foundation Family Fun Ride, which begins at 9 a.m., is $10 per child. Parents may ride along with their registered children. There is a $25 fundraising requirement for participants, but Melloni noted: "The schools get to keep it all!"

For those willing to tackle the 55-mile ride, Melloni and Scheub stress: It's not a race!

"Everyone goes at their own pace," said Scheub. "It's meant to be fun!"

A mandatory safety briefing begins at 8 a.m. Sunday, with the ride beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Riders are supported throughout the ride by the foundation's many volunteers. Additionally, representatives from Wareham-based Tri-Town Bicycles (owned by Richard Melloni Jr.) and Serious Cycles in Plymouth are on-hand to assist with any bicycle break-downs.

There are three rest stops along the way. A reception at Salerno's in Onset follows the event.

At least 40 people have signed up for the 55-mile ride so far, but the ride can accommodate up to 200. Riders are able to participate as a team and split the miles accordingly.

"Everyone [who has participated in past rides] has loved it," Melloni said.

The registration fee is $40 and riders over age 18 are asked to fundraise a minimum $250. Riders age 18 and younger have a $75 fundraising minimum.

The foundation issues cycling jerseys for the event on a first-come, first-served basis. Melloni said the jerseys - special this year for the 10th anniversary of the ride - are still available.

For more information about the ride, visit the Dick Melloni Youth Foundation website at www.dmyf.org.