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We are happy to recognize the Cumberland Masonic Lodge and the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon for their recent contribution to YANA. Cumberland Lodge chose YANA as their local charity recipient for 2019 and the Grand Lodge matched the funds! We are so grateful for this support, thank you!
The Sid Williams Theatre Society held a 50/50 raffle and the winner chose to donate his/her portion to YANA! We love the generosity of the Comox Valley!
We always knew that participants of the Kusam Klimb were tough, strong and generous! We’d like to give them a ginormous (as big as Mt. H’Kusam!) thank you for their donation to YANA.
Huge thanks to Loblaws (Real Canadian Superstore) for their recent donation. We appreciate their continuing support of YANA through their “Save It Forward Program.”
Thank you Kathleen for throwing your Beautycounter event for YANA! By making your customers look good you are helping our local YANA families feel good too!
There’s a new motorcycle repair business in town – Boot Hill performance Ltd. At their recent grand opening they held a ‘Lot Party’ with live music donated by Chris Andres plus served delicious food and car wash. Amongst all that awesomeness, the owners collected donations for YANA which we appreciate so much!
We’d like to acknowledge Fall River Logging Ltd for their charitableness. They held their annual golf tourney and donations were generously given to YANA. Thank you Fall River Logging!
YANA would like to give a shout out to the City of Courtenay’s Canada Day Committee for all their amazing work in creating a wonderful day for Comox Valley citizens on July 1st. It was a perfectly hot day for the local celebrity dunk tank, and variety show. All the “cool” proceeds were donated to YANA. Woo Hoo!
Pacific Playgrounds held their annual Summer Kickoff Event with an array of fun things to do: Tasting Tent, Hot Dog BBQ, face painting and craft tent. All donation proceeds were given to YANA and we are sooooooo grateful. Thank you Pacific Playgrounds! Summertime fun!
YANA Ride in Comox raises thousands for families with medical needs
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Originally published by Comox Valley Record –Aug 19, 2019
Talia Ruttan and mom Kelsey (left) and Autumn Helme and mom Melissa get ready to hand out water bottles for YANA riders at the finish line. Photo by Mike Chouinard.
In its seventh year, the event attracted the maximum 600 riders
It’s got a new name, but it’s still raising money for families needing medical treatments.
The Comox Bike Company YANA (You Are Not Alone) Ride once again attracted a full slate of bike riders on Sunday, Aug. 18, with riders starting at different times based on different course lengths starting at Comox Marina Park.
“This is the seventh year for the ride as it exists,” says executive director Kelly Barnie says. “It used to be the Simon’s Cycles YANA Ride. The guys from the shop purchased the shop, and it is the Comox Bike Company YANA Ride now.”
The lengths were 100-km, 50-km and 25-km as well as a 6-km Family Ride, with generally a little over 125 on up to 200 riders for each route.
“We have 600 riders. That’s always our maximum,” says Barnie, adding the ride filled up a little over a week before the deadline this year.
RELATED STORY: YANA Ride set to roll in Comox
YANA raises money for Comox Valley families with children under 19 or with a pregnant mother needing to travel out of town for medical treatment.
“YANA paid for me to live in Victoria with my daughter for three months,” says mom Kelsey Ruttan. “They kind of saved our bacon. It enabled us to stay with her.”
Similarly, Melissa Helme has to take her daughter to go to Port Alberni for weekly medical visits.
“It helps get us there and back each week,” she says.
Both moms and their daughters, Talia Ruttan and Autumn Helme, were among the “ambassadors” greeting riders at the finish line in Comox Marina Park on Sunday.
Another new feature this year is the ambassadors hand out YANA Ride water bottles to the participants instead of medals, as in the past.
Both Ruttan and Helme say the YANA Ride and the support it receives are a sign of how much the Comox Valley gets behind the event.
“It just shows how much the community cares about people’s kids,” says Helme.
The official goal for YANA is $50,000, but the hope was to raise as much as $80,000. As of Tuesday, organizers came up with a final tally, and in the end, they did reach their goal of $80,000.
Last year, the ride raised about $70,000, and as of ride day this year the total was approaching that. Barnie said the ride’s importance is clear by summing up how much this fundraising means to the organization.
“That pays for about half the total expenses we give families,” she says.
“It’s a big, big part of our budget for families for the year.”