The 2021 Cycle of Life Tour on July 24 was a resounding success for the Comox Valley Cyclepaths.
The team raised over $71,465 exceeding their fundraising goal of $65k, which will be used to deliver the services currently provided by the Comox Valley Hospice Society. This accomplishment earned the Cyclepaths the title of this year’s top Cycle of Life Tour fundraising team and trophy.
“We’d like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the team members, who amazed us with their dedication, energy, and creativity,” said CVHS executive director Jane Sterk. “We would also like to send our sincere appreciation to the team sponsors Comox Valley Record, Canadian Tire Courtenay and JetFM as well as everyone who supported this effort, donating to team members, buying hanging baskets, recycling and bottle drives, cheese sales, Thrifty Foods SMILE cards, and bidding in our first online auction.”
The money raised will go to support the operating costs of the CVHS, an organization focused on easing the journey of dying and grieving for local residents. These services are provided to the dying, their caregivers, and the bereaved by a paid staff of professional counsellors, trained volunteers and a small administrative staff and include one-to-one counselling, group support, volunteer companionship, and self-care programs.
“As a non-profit organization, we are dependent on donations from local residents and businesses to deliver our services,” said Sterk. “Our need for funding has increased because the demand for our services and the complexity of the grief people are experiencing have increased. We are currently having to either waitlist or prioritize the referrals we receive, something we would prefer not to have to do when someone is asking for help.”
The Cycle of Life Tour is an annual fundraiser for hospice care on Vancouver Island, organized by Victoria Hospice with 11 teams from multiple communities, a total of 125 riders. This year’s virtual event allowed teams to participate in various cycling challenges which led to the actual event on July 24 - a self-directed ride challenge through their local community. For the Cyclepaths, this challenge covered a 55-kilometre route through the Comox Valley, which began with an RCMP escort in Comox, stopped for cookies at Gather Farm and Kitchen, and included an emotional stop at Hospice at the Views. The ride ended cooling off at the Church St. Taphouse followed by an ocean dip.
For more information about hospice support available through CVHS and to view Cyclepath team profiles, visit comoxhospice.com.