Recently thousands of people across Canada participated in Ride Don’t Hide, raising $1.5 million for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). The event offers routes ranging from 10 to 100 km (the longest ride has police blockades of intersections, giving riders an amazing non-stop experience in the Lower Mainland of B.C.). For the fourth year in a row, David Eng, a sales rep with Sutton Group – West Coast Realty in Coquitlam, B.C. volunteered as a support rider, cycling alongside participants to help with mechanical problems, injuries and fatigue.
Eng invited Carol Song, a mortgage broker with Dominion Lending Centres Mountain View, to join him on the Ride Planning Committee starting in 2015. For three years they have shared committee duties as they draw on their business experience and networks to enhance the fundraiser.
“We’re impressed that the Ride Planning Committee represents a wide cross section of ages, genders, ethnicities and interests,” says Eng. “Carol and I really enjoy volunteering with them and supporting the great work of the CMHA.”
Recently, Eng also shone a spotlight on a local hero. “Ed Stackhouse announced on Facebook that he would bike across Canada to raise money for CMHA and in honour of his son, who has a mental illness. I connected him with the charity and they provided him with jerseys and invited him to stop at CMHA offices along the way. Ed did it all without a support crew following him in a car. He used his phone’s GPS and Google Maps. It’s incredible! He covered about 3,000 km except for some sections of the Canadian shield when he rode the bus because of wildlife hazards. That’s dedication!”
