foundations OF LIFE
$18,990
PHOTOS: COURTESY J. PERCY PAGE COMPOSITE HIGH SCHOOL
RAISED FOR THE STOLLERY!
Keep Riding FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, EDMONTON’S J. PERCY Page Composite High School has held a 24-hour Bike-AThon in the school gymnasium. Organized and run by a group of students and staff members, the Bike-A-Thon requires the 26 teams – including two teams of staff members – averaging 10 participants each, to keep at least one team member on their stationary bike during the 24-hour event. The bikes are lined up along the gymnasium wall so teams can watch and participate in the events taking place throughout the day and night, including a grand opening ceremony, a hypnotism show, Zumba and a glow in the dark dance. Participants bring along mattresses, TVs and video games to occupy themselves when they’re not on the bike, and do their best to catch some shuteye before getting back on the bike. 10
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Becky Lyons is the event organizer, and she has been a part of the Bike-A-Thon since it started five years ago. “We’ve focused on different themes for different years, but in the beginning, the event was very much based on the idea that people with cancer can’t stop,” she says. “So that’s what we’re committing to for 24 hours.” The Bike-A-Thon also works closely with the Cops for Cancer organization, which provided supervisors for the night. In fact, a staff member at J. Percy Page, Shelley Vettesse-Vaert, is involved with Cops for Cancer; “she has been a pretty strong motivator right from the start,” says Becky. The 2014 event was held throughout the day and night of November 21, 2014, and participants each raised a minimum of $100, with proceeds going to the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and Make-A-Wish® Northern Alberta. The event raised a tremendous $33,820 for the two organizations. S TO L L E RY C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L F O U N DAT I O N
2015-01-27 10:35 AM