A team of cancer-fighting cyclists won’t reach Port Hardy until June 18, but the North Island is already embracing the cause.
Supporters have stepped up in a big way for the inaugural End2End relay, a non-stop, two-day relay from Victoria to Port Hardy and back.
The 1,000-kilometre End2End ride will benefit the Island Kids Cancer Association, a small, grassroots charity that provides aid to the families of Vancouver Island children blindsided by the disease.
The relay will see four pairs of cyclists take turns riding a succession of 50-kilometre segments. Each pair will pedal for roughly two hours, rest for six, then climb back in the saddle for another leg of the round-the-clock Island Highway journey. Each rider will complete 250 kilometres by the time the trip is done. The ride will be held June 17-19 to maximize the hours of daylight.
To mark the halfway mark there will be a celebration at the turn-around point in Port Hardy. Beginning at 1 p.m. on June 18, the Hardy Bay Seniors Centre will be the site of a loonie auction, hot dog sale and bake sale. It’s likely to be later in the afternoon before the riders roll in.
Down the road in Port McNeill, Mugz 2.0 Coffee House has launched an End2End fundraiser of its own. For the month of June, proceeds from the sale of specially made $4 giant cookies will go to the cause. End2End organizers hope people in the region will order them by the dozen.
The fundraisers follow a Happy Gilmore beer-and-burger-games-and-dance event at Port Hardy’s Royal Canadian Legion that was held June 7.
Port Hardy residents have actually been working on the End2End project for several months. Sandra Boyd is on the charity effort’s leadership committee. Lisa Harrison of Love Local Marketing has been volunteering social media and communication services for the charity event.
The Airport Inn has not only donated money to the cause, but is offering beds for End2End’s weary support crew.
There’s also an online 50-50 draw, accessible by going to End2endcancer.com. Tickets are two for $10, five for $20 or 15 for $50. The winner will be announced June 19.
The goal is to raise $100,000 for the Island Kids Cancer Association, which since 2017 has supported hundreds of cancer-stricken children and their families on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. The organization offers them programs and services focused on financial support, mental health and countering the isolation often experienced by such families.
“We understand the challenges, know the system and we can help, but as a small non-profit we have limited ability to raise the money we need to fund our programs,” said executive director Susan Kerr.
All the money raised will stay on Vancouver Island, which is why the End2End slogan is “Islanders helping Islanders.”
