More than 30 bike riders, along with their support crew, rolled into Ashcroft from Merritt on Aug. 4. They left early next morning for Kamloops, the second leg of an Interior trip which will see them back in Merritt on the 9th.
The group is part of Bike for Bibles, a fundraiser sponsored by the Canadian Bible Society. The charity has been operating in Canada for 12 years, and worldwide for 20, raising money for a variety of causes. These include providing Bibles for those in the military or in prison, but the riders who stopped over in Ashcroft were working for a different cause. As Dave Manning, the team’s Road Captain, explained, the group is raising money for Trauma Healing in Rwanda.
The genocide in that country in 1994 left more than one million people dead. Nearly a decade later the country is still suffering, something Bike for Bibles hopes to help change. Partnering with the charity She’s My Sister, the groups will help women and children in Rwanda to recover from the effects of abuse, psychologcal trauma, and shattered families.
Bike for Bibles is open to anyone who enjoys riding. There are rides of all different lengths and durations, designed to suit every riding taste, from road to trail. Riders come from all over to take part in rides that interest them. The Ashcroft group included riders from B.C., Alberta, and Ontario, with Ashcroft resident Frank Mireau representing the local area.
Fr more information, visit the website at www.bikeforbibles.ca
Barbara Roden