As many of you already know, on May 1st four young men set sail from Halifax, NS and embarked on an 8000km (5000mile) journey across Canada using nothing but their longboards as a means of transport. Although treks of this kind have happened before, this is the first time anyone has undertaken the vast expanses of the Canadian wilderness. The goal of this event is to raise funds and awareness for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
To date, the team has seen a tremendous degree of support. Their fundraising total has reached $35,000 and is still climbing. They have bombed hills unlike anything they have ever imagined, and met some of the most tremendous people this world has to offer. “Most people don’t get to see generosity on a day to day basis to the scale of which we have,” said Aaron Jackson, 25, one of the team riders. “I was looking forward to being a grumpy old man one day, I don’t have that option anymore,” he continued.
When asked if a friend or family member who has contracted breast cancer inspired the event, the answer is a bit surprising. “No. We didn’t start this because we know someone with the disease, we started it because we one day we will. At the rate women are being diagnosed with this disease in North America, there is no doubt that someone dear to us will be affected,” commented Rob Lewis, 26. “We are doing this for our mothers, sisters, girlfriends, best friends and one day wives and daughters. We want them to be around as long as possible and there isn’t anything we wouldn’t do for them. That includes skating 8000 km,” he continued.
After more than four months on the road, the event is drawing to an end. In cities across the country skaters have gotten involved in the Push by joining the team on the road and helping to raise funds. Following the amazing success of these events, the team is assembling one last and “Final Push.” This is a 3-day skating event October 7-9th that will involve riders from around the globe joining the team on the road for the final 150km trek from Hope, BC to Vancouver, BC. The challenge put to each participant is to raise $500 in the time leading up to the ride. After descending on Stanley Park in the heart of Vancouver, the event will conclude with closing ceremonies, followed by an evening concert headlined by local talent. Here’s your chance to get involved and push for the people who mean most to you. For more information on how to get involved in the event go to www.pushforthecure.com.
WHEN: October 7th, 11:00am
WHERE: Skatepark, Hope, BC
WHAT: 3-day, 150km skate from Hope to Vancouver, BC
INFO: http://pushforthecure.com/finale/
DONATE: Donate Here
To get more involved and more inspired check out the following links for more media and awareness.
Check out the Push For The Cure activity on silverfish here.
Watch the traveling as it unfolds.
http://bennie.net/upload/2006-07-31-vid-pftc-skateboard_140km_day.wmv
http://bennie.net/upload/2006-07-07-vid-pftc-guelph_to_thunder_bay.wmv
http://bennie.net/upload/2006-08-09-vid-pftc-prairies.wmv
http://bennie.net/upload/2006-06-10-vid-pftc-vankleek_to_ottawa.wmv
And here's a link to all the videos:
http://bennie.net/cgi-bin/list?tmp=0&feature=2&limit=100&offset=0&type=video
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