Today was cold and raining. I rode anyhow. Chris helped out, solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.
Thank you to all who gave a moment, gave a buck or a few, and received the information. Today, we took in $35.17, which nets about $24.82 after the cost of 9 chocolate bars we sold. A kind person made a receipted donation (they get a charitable receipt) of $20, so we raised $44.82 today towards making childhood cancer part of history.
Today was beautiful and we had lots of volunteers.
Thank you to all who gave a moment, gave a buck or a few, and received the information. Today, we took in $257.30, which nets about $153.80 after the cost of the 90 chocolate bars we sold.
Those who read my blog know that we gave half of the proceeds of the Mother’s Day BBQ with the Bands to Jacob Randell, a 5 year-old boy being treated for brain cancer. When he was in Ottawa, I was able to visit him once or twice a week for about 3 weeks until they moved him to St. Justine’s Hospital in Montreal. His Mom and Dad rented an apartment there for the three-month duration of his treatment.
I just received word that upon completing his first week of chemo therapy treatment, he has been quite ill with great stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting.
Please pray for Jacob’s strength and recovery. If you don’t pray, please make an exception.
The best way to follow Jacob’s progress is at his Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?ref=mb#/group.php?gid=64333645070
This time, we set up near Zellers, moving westward every Friday. My friends Roy Crisostomo, Jennifer Woods and Karen Kebarle helped to let people know about the Ride, hand out information about the ride, and offer the opportunity for people to make a difference by donating or buying a chocolate bar. One of Roy’s friends, Aleksandra, dropped by and helped out too! Everyone is helping!
One guy stopped and stared at my legs. He explained that he used to be a bike courier and saw some large legs, but nothing like mine. “You’re a mutant! Oh man, that’s insane! You’re a mutant!” He bought a bar.
Sorry, I forgot to take pictures! Believe me, we WERE there!
Thank you to all who gave a moment, gave a buck or a few, and received the information. Today, we took in $143.90, which nets about $92.15 after the cost of chocolate bars. A kind person made a receipted donation (they get a charitable receipt) of $20, so we raised $112.15 today towards making childhood cancer part of history.
The Sparks Street Ride moved farther west, just outside the Jazz’oo Restaurant. CBC and CTV dropped by for interviews. Here is a picture with Stephan Keys of CTV interviewing me. You can see the interview by clicking on the picture.
Friends Lise Coulombe and Bill McInnis happened by on their lunch break and got interviewed. Talk about timing! My friend from work, Chris McCarthy said it best, “When I hear the stories [of cancer], I can’t help but help.”
Here is the CTV Ottawa crew. If I caught it correctly, the cameraman on the left was being trained - nice to see people being developed:
Friends Laura and her husband Klaus stopped by. Laura is behind the camera for today’s set of photos. Klaus is getting a Simply Delicious lunch…
After each interview, I got a chance to speak with each of the crew chiefs from CBC and CTV. Both shared their stories of being touched by cancer. We shared some tears and moments of understanding.
Today, we took in $155.00, netting $103.25 after the cost of chocolates.
Brandon, my 12 year old son, and I completed the 70 km CN Cycle for CHEO, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. The weather was terrific, we had lots of food and drink, and finished in good time, in time for the closing ceremonies!
On the back of my commuter bike, you can see a banner for the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride. One person asked me about it, so…. advertising works.
“You’re going nowhere fast!’
“You’re just spinning your wheels!”
“Race you to the corner!”
“Try turning around. It might be easier downwind!”
These were a sampling of comments we received today during our first Ride on Sparks Street. Sparks Street Mall in Ottawa is a beautiful walking mall, one block away from Parliament Hill.
Many strolled by as volunteers Chris McCarthy, Rick Litwinczuk, and Phil Belisle handed out brochures, talked it up, sold chocolate bars and received generous donations for the Kids living with and beyond cancer.
Me, I rode my bike on the mag trainer for the two hours.
Sam, one of the owners of Vie Bella Market and Deli, treated me to a protein shake. We call him Sam because, well, that’s his name.
People always want to know how much the machine at the back costs as they point in the general direction of my new Sugoi RS Shorts. They are VERY nice shorts. Hm, they look better when they are not on the dummy.
The mag trainer was around $300; the shorts are not for sale!
People were very supportive. A couple from Vancouver chatted for a while. I gave them what details I had about what will happen there on 2009-06-13 and they seemed keenly interested in participating. Someone else wanted to know whether she could ride along without riding all the way to Montreal. Yes we can!
We received $294.63 in chocolate sales and donations, netting about $156.63 for the Kids.
Riding to work in the morning, I usually get caught in the left lane of traffic at the red light in front of the Chateau Laurier Hotel on Wellington Street, Ottawa. After the light turns green, to keep up to traffic, I have a 175m sprint to the next light.
According to my friends and some uninhibitedly expressive strangers, I have larger than average legs. Some of it is muscle that enjoys much of its existence rotating a large chainring at 92 rpm. In traffic, it’s an inconvience to shift to a lower chainring at every stop, so I usually just leave it on the large chainring and pedal slowly until I get up to speed.
However, accelerating from a standing start, trying to keep up with traffic, and not gear down requires a massive amount of torque. For the second time is as many years, a green traffic light trumpeted my clydesdale legs into a snorting acceleration up the Wellington Street incline only to launch themselves into the freefall descent of a broken chain. Fortunately, having my feet clipped onto the pedals prevented any permanent personal pain at my crossbar. The last time, a rivet separated from a plate, but this time, the metal of one of the plates completely shattered.
Maybe it’s time to gear down…
I work in one of the buildings overlooking Parliament Hill. Today, there was some kind of celebration or march or somethin’, several thousand people on the front lawn of Parliament Hill. I found out from my colleagues that it was about marijuana (I later read that this was an annual event, like the Tulip Festival, I guess). I peeked out occasionally as the crowd built up. They seemed like a very peaceful group, sitting mostly, among the occasional soccer balls and Frisbees.
Three cases of chocolates patiently waited under my desk to participate in my fundraising campaign. I pondered as I worked:
“Marijuana…
munchies…
chocolates…
Marijuana…
munchies…
chocolates…
Marijuana…
munchies…
… chocolates!”
I broke open the three cases of chocolates, put on my SNKCR 2008 sports bandana, pushed some packs of printed pamphlets into my pants pockets and pounded the pavement to Parliament Hill calling out, “Chocolate bars… $2 for childhood cancer, Chocolate bars! $2 to cure the munchies!”
Many people smiled and stretched out their hands to give me money and receive a chocolate bar. One gentleman speaking somewhat urgently, thrust a $10 dollar bill at me, “I need five bars!” Almost everyone received a pamphlet and 30-second explanation of our ride in June. Everyone I met thanked me (us) for what I was (we are) doing. While I could not thank them for their cause, I did thank every one for contributing to mine. Even the good-spirited RCMP officers laughed at the irony of what I was doing on the Hill today and thanked us for Riding for the Kids.
I sold out of chocolates.
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