Prince George’s Ride to Conquer Cancer team Wheelin’ Warriors of the North are inching closer to their goal of raising $1 million for the B.C. Cancer Agency.
The Wheelin' Warriors of the North had a record year, now raising just over $212,000 for 200 km journey from Cloverdale to Hope in the 2019 B.C. Ride to Conquer Cancer.
The last $4,000 of that total was raised from donations collected by the PG Recycling & Return it Centre’s donation bins as well as bottle donations collected through Waste Management and Cariboo Rocks the North.
“With this check from the PG Recycling and Return it Centre that brings us within $40,000 of the $1-millionr mark and that is since 2013,” says Wheelin’ Warrior Scott McWalter during the Sept. 5 cheque presentation. “We’ve had some outstanding individuals and companies partner together on raising money for Wheelin’ Warriors of the North.”
Wheelin’ Warriors Co-Captain Ron Gallo says every year the team gets bigger and stronger and the fundraising reflects that.
“Fundraising has already been planned for 2020 and we expected to be another substantial year,” says Gallo. “One of the achievements we hope to see in 2020 is reaching the $1 million lifetime contributions for Wheelin Warriors of the North in their seventh now going on eight years of existence.”
He says what’s important about the funding raised for Wheelin’ Warriors of the North is that the funding stays within the community.
“Now the money is flowing into Prince George from the B.C. Cancer Foundation,” says Gallo. “They come up here and they recognize the contribution being made through the support of Wheelin’ Warriors of the North and so that money is being funnelled back into the B.C. Cancer Centre for the North.”
James Mclellan, medical dosimetrist at the B.C. Cancer Centre for the North, says he can see the direct effect the funding has for patients in the region.
“We are sponsoring some new studies based on really new technology and there’s been some opportunities for patients to literally be saved with this new tech that weren’t available just months ago,” says McLellan. “We had an opportunity to meet two patients today who qualified for those studies.”
The current year-to-date total of funds raised through the team is $962,774.14, which is exactly $37,225.86 away from $1 million.
Wheelin’ Warriors of the North finished eighth in team total fundraising for the 2019 ride and also finished third in top community fundraising.
The Ride to Conquer Cancer has raised more than $105.1 million in 11 years.
- with files from Jessica Fedigan, Prince George Matters
