May 15/09 14:50 pm - First Annual Cycle for Sight

Posted by Editoress on 05/15/09
 

Cycle for Sight, Saturday June 20th, 2009

Registration Deadline - Friday May 22

Rider registration for the First Annual Cycle for Sight will close on Friday May 22 at 11:59 PM. Don’t miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity to be among the first to pioneer a new event which is destined to become an annual tradition for years to come! Delay no longer! Sign up today and help us make a difference in the fight against blindness!

Recruitment Contest – Two Great Prizes!

You can make double the difference by encouraging your friends, family and colleagues to sign up and ride with us. In Cycle for Sight’s first year, our goal is to hit triple digits (100) participants. If every single person registered signs up one more person, than we will reach that goal! Please tell your friends: Unlike many bike events, Cycle for Sight is a one-day event and has a relatively low fundraising minimum. It features a great lunch, breaks, a huge party including free concerts and beer gardens on the Collingwood Waterfront – and a free bus ride back to Toronto. Leading up to the event, there are training sessions every weekend, a great way to have fun and get fit for a great cause.

CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS: The individual who signs up the most new riders by Friday May 22 will win a 2001 bottle of Lytton Springs Prietary Red valued at $120. Runner up will win a Reverse Gear vest valued at $100. To help you out, we have attached our Cycle for Sight e-card which you can email to everyone you know. Good luck and thank you for helping us get the word out!

THANK YOU Lions Clubs!

Cycle for Sight is thrilled to announce that the local Lion Clubs in King City, Schomberg, Alliston and Stayner have generously offered to staff our four rest stops on the route to Collingwood with their wonderful volunteers. They will also be supporting our riders with donated food and refreshments at each stop. This incredible contribution is invaluable to the success of our event. The Lions have a long and proud tradition of supporting blind causes. Thank you Lions!

FROM LIONS HISTORY: On June 30, 1925, Helen Keller addressed the Lions Clubs International Convention in Cedar Point, Ohio, USA. She challenged Lions to become "knights of the blind in this crusade against darkness." She said, "I am your opportunity. I am knocking at your door." The Lions accepted Keller's challenge and their work ever since has included sight programs aimed at preventable blindness. In 1971, the Board of Directors of Lions Clubs International declared that June 1 would forever be remembered as Helen Keller Day.

General Meeting – Wednesday June 3rd

The Cycle for Sight Steering Committee will be holding a General Meeting for all registered riders at the Metro Central YMCA on June 3 from 6:30 to 8:30pm. This General Meeting will be an important information session about event day and we urge all riders to attend. We will be presenting the route to Collingwood and the overall timeline of happenings on June 20. After the presentation, riders will have the opportunity to ask questions to the Committee. Customized Cycle for Sight bike license plates will also be provided to all riders. Metro Central YMCA is located on 20 Grosvenor Street, Toronto, M4Y 2V5 (NW corner of Yonge and Grosvenor)

Next Training Rides

Only 5 weekends remain for training rides so we highly encourage everyone to come out at least once a weekend. Everyone now has the convenience of choosing either the Saturday training ride with Cycle for Sight or the Sunday training ride with the Friends for Life Bike Rally. All rides are open to the public so you are welcome to bring your friends along!

This Saturday May 16 ride is a 75 km route from Kennedy to Stouffville. We will be departing at 8:30 AM so please arrive no later than 8:15 AM. Sunday May 17 ride is a 58 km route from Kippling to Oakville and departs at 9:40 AM. By this time in our training program, all riders should also be completing a 25 km to 35 km route during the week.

Participant Questionnaire

Next week we will email each participant a questionnaire please complete and return to info@cycleforsight.ca

Special Thank You to…

Chiquita Banana, Reverse Gear Inc., eload sports drinks, Metro Toronto YMCA, Dandy Horse Magazine, Unilever, Toronto TTC, Toronto Bike Union, St. John’s Ambulance ….. for your support, donations and being part of this inaugural event.