Some are pedaling for a few days, some a little longer, but Shirley and Gerry Malnis will be riding a tandem bike from sea to shining sea to raise funds for those in need.
The Vernon couple are among several Okanagan riders taking part in the annual Love in Motion tour.
Some Vernon cyclists rode from Vancouver to Vernon – they all smiled when asked about the Coastal Mountain Range – while a few brave souls will peddle across the entire length of one of the geographically largest countries in the world.
This was Warren Yablonksi's first time riding with Love In Motion. An avid cyclist, the Vernon resident rode from Vancouver to the Okanagan during the first week of the two-month long endeavor.
“We are raising money for people who need help across Canada,” he said, adding the participants can ride for a week or the entire trip.
Love in Motion is designed to raise support and awareness for projects aiding vulnerable and at-risk people. Various groups and organizations across Canada will benefit from the money raised by the ride.
“We raised funds ourselves to go on the ride,” said Yablonksi. Donations can also be made online at loveinmotion.ca or to the VAC Riders at the Vernon Alliance Church. A list of projects and the cities they are in can also be found at the website.
Vernon cyclist Lora Fellenz said the ride is all about helping the less fortunate.
“It raises awareness of the need,” she said. “People stop all the time and ask us what we are doing. They will then often make a contribution.”
As if pedaling some of the largest mountain ranges in North America was not enough of a challenge, many of the riders will be carrying wooden blocks with them.
Fellenz said each block has the name of a person inscribed on them and represent people who have died on the mean streets of Regina.
“The idea is we will carry each others burdens and share each others burdens,” said Fellenz.
"Every morning when we start out in prayer, we pray for the name on the block," said Shirley.
While the Vernon peddlers are riding for the Arbour, some 300 cyclists will take part in the ride before it is over, with each raising money for a program that helps the homeless, drug addicted and other marginalized people.
Anyone who has driven across the province knows the sacrifice and challenge the riders have taken upon themselves in the effort to help others.
“The first week is the hardest because it is all hills,” said Fellenz, adding the area from Golden to Revelstoke will also prove a challenge as other riders nodded in agreement.
However, once they get out of the mountains, it will be relatively flat going through several provinces.
Shirley said the goal of the Vernon group was to raise $23,000 that will be used to expand the Arbour at the Vernon Alliance Church.
The Arbour is a place where the city's less fortunate can go to receive hot soup, items of clothing and is a place where they can go to know someone out there cares for them. It offers a variety of programs that the money from the ride will help to expand.
Numerous organizations that help those in need across Canada will also receive funding generated by the ride.
The theme of this year's ride is justice and compassion, and that is one of the motivators for the husband and wife team who are involved in numerous faith-based events and organizations locally and internationally. They are also heavily involved in Wellspring, an agency working to improve education in Rwanda.
While the Vernon cyclists are riding for the Arbour, some 300 cyclists will take part in the ride before it is over, each raising money for a program that helps the homeless, drug addicted and other marginalized people.
A list of projects and the cities they are in can also be found at the website.
The ride will end in Halifax Aug. 30.
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