(Photo Above) Team members from left: Mike Fraser (West Vancouver Fire), Cordell Fulton, Pat Ryan, Al McNabb, Eric Kameka, James Davison, Evan Bird, Damian O'Hagan (Peninsula Cycles Owner, Shore2Shore rider/mechanic), and Mike Passas!

On September 7th 2010, the members of Local 2407 will be embarking upon a cycling journey that stretches 7000 kilometers across Canada.  We plan to complete our ride in two weeks, and are riding in a relay format with at least one cyclist on the road, twenty four hours a day.
 
Deciding to partner with Variety was an easy decision as they are continually performing vital work in all of our communities. On any given day in the White Rock area, one will be sure to see the Sunshine Vans motoring around.  In fact, many of us fail to realize the myriad of ways Variety is actually helping kids in our communities; two of our own members at the Fire Department have been personally affected by them.  We felt that a ride across Canada would be a great opportunity for us to combine cycling, our passion, with giving back to Variety, as they have given so much to our community and other communities in the province.
 
We know this ride will be both a personal and physical challenge for us, but the children that recieve the help of Variety face much more significant challenges every day.  It will be one thing for us to complete our journey, but the real heroes are the kids, and we want to acknowledge them for their bravery, in some small way, by taking on our own challenge of a cross country cycling relay.  Although we face many mountain climbs ahead, we are excited about raising funds to help these extraordinary kids face their own uphill climbs.

This is an effort that will not only need the full support of all 21 members of our department, but the support and donations of community members, local businesses, and good samaritans.  So far to date, we have raised $33,000 for Variety - The Children's Charity. Most of this has been accomplished through corporate sponsorship, personal pledges and through some of our other annual charity events.  

Please consider partnering with us to help Variety, and to make dreams possible for so many children.