30-seater bicycle hits the streets for charity
Drivers in Thunder Bay’s Intercity shared the road with an unusual vehicle on Monday.
Teams of volunteers could be seen pedalling a MEGABike — a bicycle with 30 seats — through some of the city’s busiest streets as part a fundraising campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters, a charity which pairs children aged 7 to 17 up with mentors
Our Kids Count teamed up with Wayne Toyota for the campaign, which is aiming to raise $20,000 for the mentoring charity.
“We’ve been around since the 1970’s here,” says Brianne Maxwell, the Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters at Our Kids Count. “We’re finding recently that funding is getting harder and harder.”
The bicycling event challenged volunteers to help pedal the MEGABike on a more than three-kilometre route, which could be surprisingly difficult thanks to the hulking size of the vehicle.
While volunteers braved the roads on their giant bicycle, Wayne Toyota hosted a charity barbecue at their dealership.
“We saw a great opportunity to get in on a wonderful cause,” says Wayne Toyota General Manager Ben Grant. “What better way to support the kids and get on a bike and show our support here?”
Grant says some of the dealership’s employees make use of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ after-school care programs.
“They put their children in during the summer, and they just speak highly about it,” he adds.
Sonia Kruger, the Fundraising Coordinator for Our Kids Count, says the mentoring work of the Big Brothers Big Sisters makes a real difference to the kids it works with, making every dollar they can raise significant.
“Every time we bring in more mentors, we bring in more children to match, we bring in more in-school programs, then the benefit is there for children and youth,” she says.
Beyond more funding, her colleague Maxwell explains that the charity needs more mentors too.
“They’re where the magic happens, and they’re the ones who are going to be there for the youth.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters currently works with more than 200 children in Thunder Bay, including 160 through its school programs, and another several dozen in its other programs.
Those looking to become a mentor can sign up through Our Kids Count.
