THUNDER BAY - For the past 10 years, hundreds of cyclists have ridden thousands of kilometres with the end goal of helping people who are facing a cancer diagnosis in Northwestern Ontario.
More than 370 cyclists participated in the 10th Annual Caribou Charity Ride on Saturday. In the last 10 years, the ride has raised $310,000 for the Northern Cancer Fund and this year organizers are expecting to bring in another $40,000.
“The money stays in this community so people who are dealing with cancer have an opportunity to access various services provided through the hospital and the Cancer Centre,” said Caribou Charity Ride organizing committee member, John Sims.
This year's ride was dedicated to the memory of Margaret Rooney, member of the Women on Wheel's cycling club, who passed away earlier this summer. The annual charity ride began 10 years ago as a way of raising money for cancer care in Northwestern Ontario and one of the driving forces behind starting the ride was how cancer affects nearly everyone.
“I think the underlying theme of this whole ride is people are out here to have a great time, enjoy each other’s company out on the ride, but also everyone has been touched by cancer one way or another,” Sims said. “People come together and this is a great way of being able to support each other, have a fun day, but also raise some dollars for Northern Cancer Care.”
Nancy Hamilton, who has participated in nearly every Caribou Charity Ride since it began, said she continues to ride because cancer is so far reaching in the community.
“Cancer has affected my family and a lot of my friend’s families and it’s just a really good feeling to be able to contribute to something like this locally and be involved with it,” she said.
Over the years, the ride has grown exponentially, with the 10th anniversary ride having one of the largest turnouts in recent years. Riders can choose from a 50K, 75K, or 100K ride and Sims said cyclists of all skill levels continue to come out because of the ride’s unique nature.
“For some people it feels like they are in the Tour de France, for others it’s just a great way to ride beside one of their friends and have a chat,” he said. “It’s a very social event. For some people it really tests their ability.”
“It’s the camaraderie, it’s riding with people you know, people you don’t know, meeting new friends,” Hamilton added. ”Its beautiful countryside out here. It is stunningly beautiful.”
“It’s amazing. They have grown every year,” Hamilton continued. “It is instilling a healthy lifestyle in people and it is a community based event and just growing our community. It’s good all-around for everybody.”
And while all those kilometres have added up over the years, so have the dollars. Dr. Stewart Kennedy, executive VP of medicine, academics, regional programs at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences CEntre, and the VP of cancer care, said every event that contributes to health care funding is important, especially for the people living in the region.
“This is very special because most of the riders have been touched by cancer in the family and it really brings the community of riders together to really contribute to a special cause,” he said.
The money raised has been used to purchase equipment such as CT scanners, MIRs, and IV infusion pumps for people undergoing cancer treatment. According to Kennedy, with Thunder Bay being a small community compared to centres like Toronto, there are fewer avenues for funding, for example, through corporate fundraising.
“So individual contributions like this is so important to Thunder Bay because we don’t have the corporate power to get the big dollars for the programs,” Kennedy said. “These events are so important to fund much needed technology and advancing healthcare in Thunder Bay.”
