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YANA is generously upheld by the spirit and kindness of the Comox Valley. Check out what is going on and learn about amazing supportive efforts taking place within our community. We respect the privacy of our individual donors, as such this is a sampling of donations where public acknowledgement is appropriate.
Big thanks to Domino’s Pizza Courtenay and Comox for Raising the Dough for YANA again this summer! Together, they raised an incredible $700 through their campaign!
We’re so grateful for this ongoing community partnership and to everyone who enjoyed delicious pizza while helping local families.
A GIANT thank you to CTS for their ongoing support and for thinking of YANA! 💛✨ We are so grateful for their generous donation of $4,665, a portion of their sea can rentals. Community partners like CTS make it possible for us to continue saying yes to YANA families every day. Thank you for helping us make a difference!
🍂⛳ Huge thanks to Fall River Logging, Forbidden Mechanical and all of their sponsors for choosing YANA as the beneficiary of your annual golf tournament! Your incredible community spirit and generosity raised $3,110 for YANA families. We are so grateful for your ongoing support, thank you for making such a meaningful difference through this fun and generous event!
A massive thank you to Comox Valley Pickleball for their thoughtful donation to YANA!
Community members like you are the reason we can say “yes” to all YANA families. Your support helps us continue to make a difference when it’s needed most.
A huge thank you to The Party Hub for their incredible generosity and community spirit who donated a percentage of sales from their consignment items to YANA! 🥳 We’re so grateful for local businesses like The Party Hub who make giving back part of what they do. Your support truly makes a difference for Comox Valley families!
A huge thank you to Mel and the team at Alpine First Aid for supporting YANA staff with their intermediate first aid certifications and recertifications ❤️
Because of your generosity and expertise, our team is better equipped to care for our community and each other. We’re so grateful for your support in helping us stay safe, confident, and prepared!
A huge shoutout to the incredible Comox Valley Potters Club! Their annual Bowls for YANA fundraiser at Market Days was a smashing success, raising an amazing $5,692.37!
This beautiful legacy fundraiser continues to inspire us year after year. We are so grateful to the talented potters who create with such heart, and to the community who comes out to support YANA through every bowl purchased. 💕
Thank you, Comox Valley Potters Club, for helping us ensure that we can always say “yes” to Comox Valley families!
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.”
A huge shoutout to Alicia at Art Adventures and all of her incredibly talented students for putting together such an inspiring Art Grab Bag Fundraiser!
With the heartwarming theme of children supporting children, these young artists helped raise an amazing $910 for YANA — proof that creativity and kindness go hand in hand.
Thank you for pouring your time, energy, and love into this fundraiser. Your support means the world to local families.
A Legacy of Compassion 💛
YANA Comox Valley recently received an extraordinary gift through a legacy donation of over $40,000 from the estate of a local community member. While we are keeping her identity private out of respect for the family, we want to publicly honour the profound generosity behind this bequest.
Gifts like this one have a lasting and powerful impact, ensuring YANA can continue to say “yes” to families who need to travel for medical care for a child or pregnant mother. A legacy donation doesn’t just support one moment—it creates hundreds of them. Moments where families stay together, where children are where they need to be, and where love and community carry people through.
To the loved ones of this remarkable donor, and to all who include YANA in their estate plans: thank you for believing in the power of kindness that endures beyond a lifetime.
