Langley, British Columbia — June 25, 2015 — For almost a decade, the Bayview Towing cycling team has spearheaded an annual bike ride to help raise awareness and funds for a B.C. children’s hospital.
This year’s Ride for the Kids will see participating cyclists take on a fully escorted 165 km trek on July 2, beginning and ending at Canlan Ice Sports Langley Twin Rinks. All proceeds go towards the Canucks Place Children’s Hospice “Canucks for Kids Fund,” supporting the province’s children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.
Jeff Bandura, Langley Twin Rinks Adult Safe Hockey League manager and a Team Bayview Towing cyclist, has taken part in the event since it began nine years ago, the The Langley Advance reports.
Bandura says the 2015 installment’s name change, formerly Ride for Hope, and parred down route, previously spanning South Surrey to Hope, was brought on by sponsorship changes. He says despite any differences, the goal remains the same.
“The whole ride was designed to create awareness and raise as much as we possibly can for the children and families that really need it at the hospice,” he said in the report. “So if we raise $1,000, great, if we raise $100,000, that’s also great.”
Cyclists are slotted to depart from Canlan Ice Sports Langley Twin Rinks at 8 a.m., following the route to Chilliwack, with a stop off at the new Canucks Place extension located in Abbotsford. The recently built Fraser Valley location joins the Vancouver hospice in providing dedicated healthcare services for newborns, babies and teens.
“We’ve allocated our funds that we raise this year to go to the hospice in Abbotsford, because that’s where it’s definitely needed,” Bandura said.
The ride is scheduled to wrap up in the Twin Rinks parking lot with a barbecue, beer garden, public skating, face painting, live music and guest appearances from former NHL goalie Bill Ranford, the Vancouver Canucks mascot, in addition to Canucks alumni. The windup is open to the public, running from 4 to 6 p.m., where donations to the hospice will be collected voluntarily and through the purchase of buttons.
Last year’s ride raised almost $70,000. To date, the event has raised around $645,000 for the Canucks for Kids Fund.
To donate to Ride for the Kids online, go to rideforkids.ca.
More information on the Canucks Place Children’s Hospice can be found at canuckplace.org.
