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Cycling for childhood cancer

The fifth annual Sears National Kids Cancer Ride rolls into Hope on Sept. 5
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Cyclists with the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride make their way down Third Avenue last year. This year’s cross-country ride stops in Hope Memorial Park on Sept. 5.

The fifth annual Sears National Kids Cancer Ride rolls into Hope on Sept. 5.

Cyclists are scheduled to arrive in Memorial Park by the bandstand at about 4:15 p.m. The team will stop for a couple hours to meet with local supporters before heading on to Kamloops.

“It’s a good time to get the community together and get involved and help them out,” said Maureen Shaw, owner of the local Sears store.

“They’ll have people talking about the ride, where it started and how its conception happened.”

The ride kicks off in Vancouver on Sept. 5 and ends in Halifax 17 days later on Sept. 21. Riding in relay style, the selected national riders will each cycle about 165 kilometres every day.

All money raised goes directly to fund research and support programs for childhood cancer in 17 pediatric oncology centres across Canada.

According to Statistics Canada, on average more than 1,200 children and teenagers are diagnosed with cancer every year and another 224 die from the disease.

Leukemias, brain and other nervous system tumours, lymphomas (lymph node cancers), bone cancers, soft tissue sarcomas, kidney cancers, eye cancers, and adrenal gland cancers are the most common cancers in children.

To date, the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride has raised over $4.5 million and organizers are hoping to add another $1.5 million to that total this year.

The event is conducted by the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation, which is comprised mainly of volunteers, in partnership with title sponsor Sears Canada.