Ten days in the saddle to help Okanagan kids

One thousand kilometres. Thirty-four cyclists. Twentysix communities. And countless changes of spandex. The 2018 Cops for Kids Ride got underway Friday to raise money for local children needing medical equipment, transportation to hospital, specialized therapies and learning and mobility aids.

For the next nine days, the team, made up of police officers and others in the RCMP’s southeast district, will peddle up and down mountains, through valleys and along plateaus.

The contingent left Kelowna Friday morning and stopped in West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland and Penticton for fundraising events before ending up in Osoyoos to overnight.

Today, the team backtracks for more fundraising in Penticton and Oliver before spending the night again in Osoyoos.

During the next week and a half, the cyclists will make their way through Boundary Country, the Kootenays, up to Golden, Invermere, Revelstoke and 3 Valley Gap before swinging through Salmon Arm, Chase, Kamloops, Falkland, Vernon and Lake Country. They return to Kelowna on Sept. 23. Kids called little ambassadors will join for short portions of the ride.

This is the largest ride in Cops for Kids’ 17-year history with 34 cyclists and a six-person support crew.

“We rely on the generosity of local hotels, restaurants, service clubs and businesses to host the team in each community, so we realize the pressure a large time puts on them,” said Cops for Kids captain Julio Krenz, a retired staff sergeant. “Their support is appreciated more than ever.

To have this much interest from riders wanting to join the team to make a difference in their community speaks to devotion from the RCMP members and the partnering law enforcement agencies in our area, so we are thrilled.”

Rider provides their own bike, train on their own time, volunteers at community events and pledges to raise at least $2,000.

“When I see the devotion these members make to supporting local kids, it makes me want to help out where I can,” said Al Hildebrandt of the Kelowna Foundation for Hope and Social Innovation, which is a sponsor of Cops for Kids.

“These riders work overtime shifts keeping our communities safe, have families of their own at home, and they still give another 10 days to this ride. So, we are going to do our part, too, to help raise the funds needed by local families.”

During the past 17 years, Cops for Kids has raised $4.5 million with its rides, an average of $265,000 annually.

Besides the money raised by riders, sponsors and events during the ride, funds are also raised online at CopsForKids.org.

You can also track the progress of the team on the same website.

BARB AGUIAR/Special to The Okanagan Weekend The largest team in Cops for Kids history cycled through Westbank Friday morning on their way south along highway 97 for the first of 10 days to raise awareness and essential funds for children in medical, physical or traumatic crisis.

BARB AGUIAR/Special to The Okanagan Weekend Tristyn Ranger and his mom, Lisa, came out to the Cops for Kids stop at Valley First on the Westside to thank the team for their support while he was undergoing treatment for leukemia at B.C. Children’s Hospital.