Register & Rally Your Crew for the 2025 YANA Ride!

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The annual YANA Ride brings together riders of all ages, abilities, and disciplines in one massive community-wide event to raise funds in support of YANA families.

Register – Make a Pledge – Get Info

Registration starts June 1, 2025, and participating is as easy as 1-2-3!

  1. REGISTER & RALLY – Round up your friends, family, coworkers or riding crew and register as a team! Rallying together makes fundraising more fun and impactful — and every team member’s tax-receiptable registration donation counts toward your collective goal. Prefer to ride solo? No problem — individual riders are always welcome too! However you roll, you’ll be riding for local families who need it most.
  2. RIDE & RAISE – Choose your Challenge tracking distance, time, number of trails, or number of communities you’ve ridden in, OR chart your very own course. Ride on Sunday, August 17th, or any day between August 1st to 17th, collecting pledges along the way. 
    • Distance Challenge – YANA supported 271 children and pregnant mothers last year. 
      • Gather pledges for the 271 kms you ride for this challenge. 
    • Time Challenge – YANA helped families with 588 medical trips last year. 
      • Gather pledges for the 588 minutes you ride for this challenge. 
    • Trail Challenge– YANA helps children tackle the toughest terrain of their medical journey. 
      • Gather pledges as you ride 3 off-road trails for this challenge. 
    • Communities Challenge –  YANA helps families from every Comox Valley community. 
      • Gather pledges as you ride in 3 communities for this challenge.
    • OR Chart Your Own Course riding and gathering pledges as you ride between Aug 1st-17th. Consider becoming a YANA Ambassador Rider to help promote YANA’s fundraising efforts by sharing your adventures.
  3. REUNITE at the massive PARTY IN THE PARK celebration on Sunday, August 17th from 11AM to 4PM at Comox Marina Park. Riders, families, friends, and YANA supporters far and wide are welcome!!

This is a party you won’t want to miss! Party in the Park highlights include:

  • Finish line and congratulation stations
  • Sponsor donated prizes for every fundraising rider and the official 2025 YANA Ride t-shirt for the top 200 fundraisers
  • Beer garden
  • Live music and entertainment
  • Activities for kids, and kids at heart
  • 50/50 raffle, Golf Ball Drop, giveaways and draws
  • Silent Auction loaded with bike gear and accessories
  • Your favourite Marina Park food trucks and seaside snacks
  • …..and MORE!

 

Register – Make a Pledge – Get Info
Become a YANA Ride Ambassador
Volunteer for the 2025 YANA Ride
Online Silent Auction Aug 1-17

 

A Ride of Thanks: How the Knopp family is giving back for baby Autumn

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When Samantha Knopp arrived at the hospital 32 weeks into her pregnancy, she wasn’t expecting to meet her baby girl so soon.
Originally published by the Comox Valley Record 2025-07-24

 

In a whirlwind of events, Autumn Knopp was born eight weeks early and immediately flown to Victoria for specialized neonatal care. Samantha Knopp was transported by ambulance shortly after, while the rest of the Knopp family remained in the Comox Valley, unsure of what would come next. That’s when YANA stepped in.

“Kourtney [the Client Care Coordinator at YANA] was wonderful. She reached out right away and made sure we could all be together,” shared Knopp. “She found a hotel for my husband and our older daughter, Jozlyn so that we could stay close.”

The support didn’t end there. When Autumn was transferred from Victoria to Nanaimo’s NICU, Kourtney once again helped the Knopps find accommodations near the hospital so they could remain close to their newborn. “YANA was there every single day we needed something,” Knopp said. “Kourtney was a wealth of knowledge. She connected us with all the supports we needed. We weren’t prepared for what happened, but YANA helped us through it all.”

Thanks to YANA, the Knopps were able to stay together throughout Autumn’s 20-day NICU journey, easing the emotional and financial stress of being far from home.

Now, the Knopp family is giving back by participating in this year’s YANA Ride. Riding for baby Autumn, her big sister Jozlyn is raising funds for YANA so they can continue supporting families like hers. Every day after daycare, Jozlyn jumps on her bike and rides home, each pedal stroke a symbol of hope, resilience, and gratitude.

“We’re riding for Autumn and for all the families who will need YANA one day,” said Knopp. “We want to give back to the organization that was there for us when we needed it the most.”

At the time the article was written, Jozlyn Knopp was just a few hundred dollars away from reaching her $2,000 fundraising goal. Let’s help her get there! Donations can be made by clicking the “Register – Make a Pledge – Get Info” button at www.yanacomoxvalley.com.

Every contribution supports YANA’s mission to ensure Comox Valley families with children or pregnant mothers needing medical care away from home can stay together and focus on what truly matters: healing and being there for each other. YANA’s Executive Director, Kelly Barnie, sums it up best, “Every time someone rides, donates, or cheers a little rider like Jozlyn on, they become part of something powerful. Together, we make sure that no family is ever alone during one of the hardest times of their life. That’s what YANA is all about.”

To participate in the 2025 YANA Ride, donate to a rider like Jozlyn, or get more information about joining the fun at the August 17th YANA Ride Party in the Park, visit www.yanacomoxvalley.com.

Valley Vonka golden ticket countdown: Sweet treats for a great cause

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Originally published by the Comox Valley Record, April 25, 2025

Black Press Media Staff  – Comox Valley Record

Calling all chocolate lovers — time’s almost up!

You have until Monday, April 28, to turn in your golden tickets for this year’s Valley Vonka contest. This isn’t just a chocolate fix — it’s a treasure hunt.

Hidden in more than 3,000 bars made by Comox Valley’s own Hot Chocolates are five golden tickets, and at least three are still out there. The bars are scattered across participating businesses throughout the Valley, so your chances are still very real.

Need a place to start? You can still pick up Valley Vonka bars at Peninsula Co-op and Hot Chocolates — but don’t wait, they won’t last long. Each chocolate bar you buy supports YANA (You Are Not Alone), a local non-profit that helps Comox Valley families with children who need to travel for medical care.

Each golden ticket is worth between $780 and $1,000. Prizes include:

  • The Ultimate Relaxation Package: A luxurious stay at The Old House Resort & Spa, a delectable dinner at a local restaurant, and a family spa day (Value: $1,000)
  • A Healing Escape: Experience the magical Healing Caves at the Kingfisher Pacific Resort and Spa, an experience for four (Value: $780)
  • Save on Fuel: A Peninsula Co-Op Gas Card (Value: $1,000)
  • Shopping Spree Time: A Canadian Tire Shopping Spree (Value: $1,000)
  • Grocery Goodness: A Quality Foods Gift Card (for Comox and Courtenay stores – Value: $1,000)

So whether or not you find a ticket, you’re doing something great for your community.

Find gold, do good, and don’t forget — tickets must be turned in by April 28!

YANA Helps Comox Valley family after premature birth and B.C. journey

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Originally published by the Comox Valley Record, April 16, 2025

 Erin Haluschak – Comox Valley Record

Théodore Labrecque made an early appearance in the world this past December, and his birth gave his parents an expected adventure throughout the province, with help thanks to YANA.

Parents Rebecca and Jean-François Labrecque son’s birth took a surprise turn when he was born prematurely in the Valley.

The Labrecques went to the North Island Hospital Comox Valley, but due to complications, they had to find a neonatal intensive care unit.

“We were originally sent to Victoria, then Nanaimo and then Vancouver, but they were all full,” explains Jean-François. “As we were waiting in the hospital (getting ready to leave), a nurse came up to us and handed us an envelope from YANA with some money.”

The couple took an emergency flight transfer to Kamloops where Rebecca had a C-section; Théodore was born on Dec. 3, 2024 at 8:13 p.m. Because he was being monitored for jaundice and had to spend extra time feeding, the family was required to stay in the area for longer than expected.

Jean-François says in the original envelope there was a note from YANA that told him to contact the organization once the couple had settled with their newborn. He called YANA and, nearly right away, was transferred funds to help support the family for food and transportation, as they didn’t have a way of returning to the Comox Valley.

“Within a short time, I had a link to a car rental, funds for the ferry and for gas. We even had a stop in Pemberton with a hotel booked because we didn’t want to travel the whole way in one day with a newborn – everything was organized for us.”

He adds that both he and Rebecca are still in awe of the community’s generosity and how effortlessly the support came together.

“Rebecca knew of YANA from community fundraisers, but it is still amazing to see it (in action.) The nurse at the hospital just gave us an envelope, and overall (YANA) was so good as it saved us a lot of (expenses).

As for Théo, he’s been thriving and gaining weight just as he should. The family recently returned from a visit with loved ones.

***

The Valley Vonka – a major fundraiser for YANA, is ongoing in the Comox Valley. Businesses throughout the community are selling chocolate bars (by donation) with the chance to find one of five Golden Tickets inside the bar. A Golden Ticket qualifies the redeemer to one of five grand prizes, values anywhere from $780 to $1,000.

Chocolate bars are available at:

YANA lives up to its name for Comox Valley family

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Originally published by the Comox Valley Record, April 9, 2025

Marc Kitteringham – Comox Valley Record

YANA stands for “You Are Not Alone,” and for the family of Henri Gayet-Hanachowicz, that couldn’t be more true.

Gayet-Hanachowicz is a 10 year old boy living in the Comox Valley. He and his family moved here in 2022 from Vancouver. He’s a happy kid, mom Alice Gayet says, despite needing to go back to Vancouver every few months or so and visit a series of specialists to help deal with a variety of health issues. Gayet-Hanachowicz was diagnosed with infantile onset of Crohn’s disease and infantile hyperthyroidism at the age of one. That led to a diagnosis at three of juvenile arthritis. That same year he had urgent eye surgery, and doctors discovered brain lesions. A few years later, he was diagnosed with a bone disease and psoriasis, among other health issues.

“Crohn’s disease for babies is extremely rare and aggressive,” Gayet said. “It’s a quite complex disease, and severe … Hyperthyroidism, when you’re an adult it’s okay, but when you’re a baby it can lead to developmental and intellectual delays.

“We were at the hospital quite a lot for this. Basically for years he has been on a combination of immunosuppressants, many of which were not approved for kids for a long time,” she said.

Gayet and her husband moved from France to Vancouver, where Henri was born. They made the move to Comox in 2022. BCFRP (BC Family Residence Program) told her about YANA and advised her to contact them. That’s when everything changed.

“I’d actually never heard about it, so I decided to call them,” Gayet said. “It wasn’t easy, because it’s not easy asking for help. I spoke to Kourtney (Van Velzen) there and she was so kind and empathetic and so supportive … it was a huge relief. I actually cried when I spoke to her.

“I was very shocked that people who never met us would help organize places for us to stay, help with expenses … we don’t have family here, they’re in Europe. It’s very lonely sometimes, and … to connect with this many people has been really transformative.”

Now, instead of worrying about where they are going to stay, eat, travel, how they are going to pay for it, they get to pay attention to what really matters: their son. Now, they try to find other things to do outside of Henri’s appointments, things like going to arcades and the aquarium.

“I got a strong little guy, and great support,” Gayet said, adding that YANA adds “emotional support, on top of the practical assistance, and the sense of community.”

“Every time we travel to Vancouver, there’s at least one moment when I just have a wave of gratitude,” she said. “It’s usually when we get off the ferry …  they really gave us a sense of community.”

***

The Valley Vonka – a major fundraiser for YANA, is ongoing in the Comox Valley. Businesses throughout the community are selling chocolate bars (by donation) with the chance to find one of five Golden Tickets inside the bar. A Golden Ticket qualifies the redeemer to one of five grand prizes, values anywhere from $780 to $1,000.

Chocolate bars are available at:

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