Community Spirit Powers Record-Breaking $112,600 for YANA Ride
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Originally published by Comox Valley Record – August 29, 2025
The 2025 YANA Ride has crossed the finish line for another year, and the Comox Valley has once again proven just how powerful community can be. Riders, donors, sponsors, and volunteers came together to raise a record-breaking $112,600 to support local families who must travel to access medical care for a child or pregnant mother.
This year’s ride celebrated the power of teamwork. Participants teamed up with friends, family, co-workers, and riding crews to form 25 teams, making this summer of riding for a cause close to their hearts unforgettable. Together, 235 participants of all ages and abilities joined in from August 1 to 17, hitting trails, roads, and paths with purpose and passion. The top three fundraising teams – Coastwood Cares, Pedal Pirates, and Ale Blazers – set the pace, collectively raising well over $30,000. With one major contribution still in process, the top fundraising team, Coastwood Cares, led by Mark Purcell, had received over $14,000 in pledges as of the last count this year.
The fundraising and celebrations culminated on August 17 with the Party in the Park, featuring fun at every turn. Upon entering the park, the first stop was the recognition stations where fundraising riders received exclusive YANA Ride t-shirts, gift cards and certificates donated by generous sponsors, and their choice of a YANA Ride tote bag or sports towel. Throughout the rest of the park, attendees enjoyed live music by DJ Inuk and Christy Vanden, a lively beer garden, Taoist Tai Chi demonstrations, and delicious snacks. The family fun zone was filled with face painting, bouncy castles, yard games, a Little Wheelers course, and the Comox Valley Toy Library Society’s popular toy station. The excitement of the day hit a high during the announcement of the 50/50 and Air Canada winners and the second annual Golf Ball Drop, where hundreds of golf balls rained down from a Comox Fire Rescue truck basket in an epic spectacle that is quickly becoming a fan favourite.
“The Ride is about so much more than biking,” says YANA Executive Director Kelly Barnie. “It is truly a celebration of community spirit and kindness, and of how the Comox Valley rallies behind its own. We want to send a huge thank you to every rider, donor, volunteer, and sponsor who helped make the incredible success of this event possible. You are all the reason we get to say yes to our families. Being able to sign off emails by saying, ‘Please know your community has your back,’ is something more special than I will ever possibly be able to explain.”
