This week the "Ottawa 2 Halifax" cycling enthusiasts set out from Ottawa as they pedal their way to Halifax while raising money for the Easter Seals Ontario. This puts a smile on my face for a couple of reasons. One is that I'm pro-cycling. I love to bike and I say good for anyone doing a 2300+ km bike ride. Another reason I'm smiling is that the money they're raising is going towards an organization that's made a positive impact on my life, The Easter Seals Society.
In 1998 my sister asked me to volunteer at an Easter Seals Camp where she worked outside of Perth. This resulted in me returning to volunteer the next weekend and then work there the following five summers and volunteering some years after. The time I spent there was amazing. Kids were immersed in a fully accessible environment, some of them away from home for the first time, trying new things that may have never seemed possible. Getting out of a wheelchair and spending the day on the Ottawa River whitewater rafting is a memory that a kid will have forever.
The camps provide a range special programs. Anything from canoeing and kayaking, to extended out-trips, sailing, sledge hockey, rock climbing and a fully accessible high ropes course. Quiet shy kids would arrive at camp and return home proud and confident from their accomplishments. I met so many great kids, and I worked with amazing people that brought out the very best in one another. Staff that would challenge kids and encourage them to promote their independence, contributing to a place which really did help kids succeed.
Being involved with Easter Seals is one of the most important things I've done in my life. I was inspired by the kids that attended camp, and made a number of lifelong friends along the way. There's a lot of great causes out there but Easter Seals will always be one that's very special to me after seeing first hand the positive changes they make in the lives of others. So as the Ottawa 2 Halifax Fundraisers pedal their way to Halifax, I wish them smooth roads, no flats, tailwinds and many pledges.
Editor's note: Dan will be joining #BikeO2H for the last leg of the trip into Halifax.
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