A local retirement residence wants to bring a major fundraising event to Osoyoos that attracts hundreds of thousands of participants in similar events across Canada.

Jennifer Herd, a receptionist at the Sunshine Ridge Retirement Residence, said she and other staff members would like to bring the Big Bike for Heart and Stroke to Osoyoos.

“A bunch of us were talking about it and we just thought it would be a great idea to bring the Big Bike event to Osoyoos,” said Herd. “The Big Bike event is always a lot of fun and it raises money for a great cause, so we’re hoping we can pull this off.”

In order for the regional office of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada to approve holding a Big Bike event, organizers have to get at least five teams with a minimum of 14 riders signed up and they also need to get five sponsors willing to donate a minimum of $1,000 to the one-day event, said Herd.

“We’re (Sunshine Ridge) prepared to be one of the sponsors, so we have to find four more sponsors willing to come up with $1,000 each,” she said. “We’re hoping to get those sponsors in place hopefully by the end of August or early September.”

Once the sponsors are in place, Herd believes she won’t have any problems getting several teams to sign up.

For those who don’t know, the Big Bike for Heart and Stroke sees participants literally ride on a big bicycle that seats between 14 and 30 people.

There are hundreds of events held across the country and the Big Bike has become the largest fundraising event held by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada every year.

Riders ride the Big Bike for 20 minutes and are expected to raise pledges from family, friends and co-workers.

A trained driver from the Heart and Stroke foundation will lead teams as they ride around town having a blast and raising money for a very worthy cause, said Herd.

The event allows all participants to get in a good laugh with co-workers, while getting some excellent exercise in the middle of a busy work day, she said.

The best news of all is that all of the proceeds go towards heart and stroke research that will eventually help save lives and support heart attack and stroke survivors and their families, she said.

Most teams end up raising between $3,000 and $4,000 and any team that raises $5,000 or more is awarded with individual medals.

Last year, more than 70,000 riders across Canada participated in the Big Bike for Heart and Stroke in over 200 communities and helped raise more than $8 million for research.

Once the five sponsors are in place, Herd said she and other organizers at Sunshine Ridge will start signing up teams.

A date for the event won’t be set until the sponsors are put in place, she said.

Anyone interested in sponsoring this event is asked to contact Herd at 250-495-2520

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times