September 11th was the annual Ride for Karen charity ride that the team .... and a bunch of great people... do to help raise money to send kids with cancer to camps in the Muskoka's.... and it was a great day. We had over 300 riders from all abilities levels riding on the roads around Maple Ontario... and we were all greeted back to the Start / Finish area with great cheers and applause. This year we raised just over $200,000 ... sending dozens of kids to camp and continuing to fund a really neat program called "Ooch on the 8th"... where Camp Oochigaus has created a camp-like atmosphere on the 8th floor of Sick Kids Hospital... very cool for those kids who can't actually leave the hospital. It was also a special year because Kirk and Kris (the 2 sons of Karen and the organizers of the ride) also lost their father Kal to cancer a month before the ride.... i can't imagine how hard it was for them. It was great to see the title sponsor ScotiaBank commit to another 3 years of sponsoring the event.... to the tune of almost $75,000 for the 3 year... i rode up to "Big Wig" from Scotia who is also a great rider... put my hand on his shoulder and said "You're awesome..." and then i faded back into the sea of jerseys.... It was a great day for a great cause, and i'm glad to support the Ride for Karen and everything that it represents... Great job Kirk and Kris.... (Donations can still be made at www.rideforkaren.com)
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