Pedal for Hope 2015 tallies $112,000 to battle childhood cancer

The 2015 Pedal for Hope team.

When all the calculations were complete, the  Pedal for Hope Quinte tour raised $112,000 for children and their families who are battling cancer.

“While the official 10-day tour ended May 8, a number of schools in the region continued raising money for Pedal for Hope in the weeks following – and it’s only now that a clear picture of the total amount raised has emerged,” said Det.-Const Jeremy Ashley.

“To put this in perspective, the first year of Pedal for Hope in the Quinte area in 2012 raised approximately $10,000, so the team has been blown away by how this community – at large – has embraced this program.”

To date, Pedal for Hope Quinte has raised more than $350,000 for children and their families battling cancer.

Pedal for Hope includes police officers from the Belleville Police Service and other Ontario Provincial Police Services  on a cycling tour that cruises to elementary schools throughout Prince Edward County, Belleville, Quinte West and Centre Hastings.

High-energy assemblies are held that feature presentations to children, head shaves, ice cream eating contest, and educational messages about fighting cancer and living healthy lifestyles.

In the weeks leading up to the tour, students at the schools visited are asked to raise money for the tour – all of which is earmarked for childhood cancer research through the Canadian Cancer Society, the program’s current beneficiary.

“The money aside, the heart of this event is on the special kids that reside in our communities who have been diagnosed with cancer,” said Ashley. “During the tour, each officer is paired up with one or two of these ‘special friends’ and ride in that child’s honor.

“The event is a tremendous show of support for each of these children and their families as they battle their illness. Many of these children have been diagnosed with a life threatening form of cancer.”