Cyclists urged to take a ride for poor children

Group to hold first Alta. bicycling tour

- Photo supplied The 2004 Cycling for Children event started in Springhill, N.S.

By BILL GLEN
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

A trip to the Maritimes was a holiday Josée Marr had dreamed of all her life.

When she received a notice from Christian Child Care International two years ago advertising Cycling for Children - a four-day bicycling tour of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick - Marr thought it was too good to pass up. With her husband Mike, the Marrs enjoy a physically active lifestyle.

Because the event was designed to raise funds to aid developing nations overseas, Marr was convinced the trip would be perfect.

"It was a wonderful, community building experience," said Marr, an administrative assistant with the Edmonton Archdiocese's chancery office.

"There were 19 other riders with a support team of another 10 people. The scenery was breathtaking. In the evenings, we had free time but there were sessions with a deacon with CCCI who gave us presentations on some of the projects."

Marr became convinced that the effort she put into raising more than $750 coupled with the work CCCI does was designed to help directly.

"CCCI seems large enough and well organized, but not so big that you lose your way in elaborate marketing approaches you find with other agencies. It is easy to follow the paper trail."

This summer, CCCI will hold its first Cycling for Children event in Alberta, hoping to raise funds for a school in Africa.

Josée Marr

CCCI is a Canadian Catholic non-government organization based in Springhill, N.S., with more than 29,000 sponsors bringing hope and relief to children and the elderly in 16 countries. Thirty-nine mission sites in Africa, Asia, Europe, South and Central America are supported by CCCI, including St. Peter's Catholic College in Kumbo, Cameroon.

"What permeated throughout the tour were the friendships and stories," Marr said. "We had well-organized rest stops. Whenever you have a group who puts out a great amount of effort, you have stories of aches and pains but at the same time, you have victories over challenges. It brought us together."

CCCI contacted Marr about an Alberta cycling event this June. She passed on some contact information of retreat houses within proximity to scenic locations.

Marian Cloutier, CCCI's volunteer coordinator, said Christian Child Care International is coming to the province because of the generosity shown by Albertans.

"We have a large supporter base in Alberta - the second largest in Canada. We want to grow Cycling for Children so we are taking it to where our support is," said Cloutier.

Cloutier is hoping to attract 50 people this June 29-30 to support Cycling for Children with a 90 km cycle from Olds to the secluded Sanctum Retreat Centre near Caroline.

Riders will enjoy a "pampered" over-night stay before returning to Olds the following day. The route takes the riders through some of Alberta's more picturesque landscapes.

A registration fee of $75 pays for accommodation, meals, support vehicles and a cycling jersey. Riders must wear helmets. Each person is responsible to pay costs to get to and from the starting point.

Commitment to train

This is the fourth year for Cycling For Children in Canada, but a first for Alberta. Several guidelines are set out for participants to prepare them for the trip, including minimum fundraising requirements and a commitment - in advance - to physical training.

"Staying at Sanctum Retreat will maintain the spiritual aspect of the tour," Cloutier said.

- Photo supplied Cyclists and helpers take a break during the 2004 Cycling for Children event in Nova Scotia.

CCCI will celebrate its 10th year this July. Father Pat Cosgrove started the organization in Springhill as an offshoot of a similar organization in the United States.

"He belonged to its board of directors when they moved up to Kitchener, Ont., in the early 1990s," Cloutier said. "After a couple of years, it became unsuccessful in the way they had anticipated. They were pulling out of Canada when Father Pat asked if he could take the concept to Springhill, where he was pastor. It was approved and we have been alive since 1996."

Funds raised this year through its Cycling for Children initiative will help St. Peter's College in Cameroon build an additional seven classrooms, three science labs and a library.

"The number of sponsors grows daily, and that's good news," Cloutier said.

All projects are independently administered by religious orders, parishes or lay organizations with a focus on educational, nutritional, medical and health needs.

With two other two-day rides this summer in Ontario and Nova Scotia, CCCI hopes to raise $100,000 for the Cameroon project.

For more information and registration, contact Marian Cloutier (toll free) at 1-866-311-6874, or email her at mariancloutier@ccciweb.ca.

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