Group of Wellesley boys take trek to support Beirut relief

Taking to their bicycles, they help raise money in support of those displaced by the August explosion in Lebanon

A DEADLY EXPLOSION HALF A

world away prompted a group of Wellesley boys to think globally and act locally, as they organized a fundraiser for relief efforts in Lebanon.

Their 10-kilometre bike ride came about following the August explosion in Beirut that killed more than 200, injured some 7,000 and left some 300,000 people temporarily homeless.

Wellesley’s Ali Khan, a Grade 10 at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary school, came up with the idea to gather up some friends after being inspired by an Islamic relief fundraiser to support those affected by the disaster. The group of 15-16-year olds attend school together and enjoy spending their time volunteering, playing basketball and biking.

“I know a family friend who works in Islamic relief and they [were having] an event like an outdoor movie night to raise money for Lebanon. And I couldn’t make it there because my parents are busy. And then I asked him if we could like help out in our city, and he said, ‘Yeah, you just got to do a bike ride.’”

The trek was 10 km, and saw Khan accompanied by six other friends. The trip took the group between 45 minutes to an hour to complete.

The boys’ monetary goal was to raise $300 and they were successfully able to bring in between $500 and $600 through donations.

Wellesley Mayor Joe Nowak was involved in the ride by giving the boys permission to cycle the streets. “I can’t say enough about the youth in this community and the work that they’ve done to put this program together.