The Donors: Mike Kuzik, Greg Manktelow and Rob Jones
The Gift: $135,000 and climbing
The Cause: Sports programs for children
A few years ago, long-time cyclists Mike Kuzik and Rob Jones decided to plot a journey through the mountains.
"We were throwing around the idea of, Why don't we do something really silly? Why don't we do Jasper to Lake Louise," Mr. Kuzik recalled from Canmore, Alta., where he works as an investment adviser for RBC Dominion Securities.
Mr. Kuzik then suggested something more. "I said to Rob, 'Why don't we try to leverage this ride, given the amount of training we are going to have to do, and turn it into something else?' And that's when I thought of starting up a foundation."
The idea stuck and, together with friend Greg Manktelow, they started the Rockies Ride for Kids, a 230-kilometre fundraising trek along the Icefields Parkway, which links Banff and Jasper. They started in 2007, hoping to raise $10,000 in the initial ride. They ended up with $35,000, and two subsequent rides have generated $100,000 more.
This year's ride, in September, will follow a new route through the mountains and the men hope to raise $50,000.
All donations have been put in a fund managed by the Bow Valley Community Foundation and the group makes annual grants to kids' sports organizations. The biggest recipient has been a disabled children's ski program at Banff's Sunshine Village ski resort.
The ride isn't easy - it's dubbed the "parkway parade of pain." It takes roughly 10 hours and riders climb nearly 10,000 feet. "Most people will put in 2,000 to 3,000 km of training rides," Mr. Kuzik explained, adding that they limit the number of participants to 40.
Mr. Kuzik, 54, wants to raise $1-million for the fund. And, while he and the others love the challenge, they also hope to share something with their children. "I wanted the kids to see that their parents can still get off their duff and do something not only for themselves but something for the community," he said.