Sixth version of fundraising cycle run will roll though wine country to Kingston (and back)
Peterborough’s cycling community, like many, has a big heart when it comes to helping others. This is seen in everyday actions, such as the impromptu collection jar set up at Bikefest back in May, when a member of the #bikePTBO community had their bike stolen that morning. It is also seen through more formally organized fundraising efforts such as the Pedal For Hope ride, a support team for local children fighting cancer. Even our corporate bike citizens go that extra mile in supporting the community.
Keeping in mind that the whole world is our community, the Ride For Africycle is an annual cycle run that raises funds for Africycle, a charity that ships used bikes to Malawi and has set up a small bike shop there where the bikes are refurbished and distributed to the community. The benefits are numerous. First, the people running the bike shop are trained and then employed running the shop. The extended, knock-on benefits roll on from there. Transportation for so many people and small businesses in Africa is expensive and unreliable. As in so many other places, bicycles are often the most efficient means of transportation for many people. With a bike, individuals can get to their jobs reliably and, because they can travel further at low expense, they have more job options. Small businesses can use bicycles to transport materials to their shops and deliver goods to customers, reducing costs. Rural health care providers use bikes to deliver their services at less cost, allowing more money to be used for health care. All this happens without reliance on expensive and limited fossil fuel technologies all of which literally suck money out of the community (hey, does this sound familiar?). In the past years, Africycle has created employment for 8 Malawian employees and has transported over 2000 bicycles.
The 2012 Ride For Africycle will run from August 11th to 15th. Leaving from the Silver Bean in Peterborough on Saturday morning, the group will ride towards Kingston via Prince Edward County wine country, stopping at the Norman Hardie Winery. After a stop over at Queen’s University, the group will head back to Peterborough via Presqu’Ile Provincial Park and more touring of Prince Edward County.
While the ride looks to be very interesting and enjoyable in and of itself, the main goal is raising funds for the Africycle Project. Cyclists will be paying their own way, so all funds raised will go to the charity. As a registered charity, all funds raised are tax deductible (so you can direct your money to new hope rather than new jails).
Giving is easy, Just click here.
Of course, you should never give blindly. Check out these links for more details and to see what your support makes happen:
Ride For Africycle website
Africycle Overview at the Africycle website
Here’s a post at the website of Kris Sieber, one of the participants in this year’s ride.
And a link to their twitter feed.
Consider supporting Africycle and spreading the bike love.