SEPTEMBER 8, 2019, OTTAWA, ON – 900 cyclists and volunteers came together Sunday and raised $1.07 million to support leading-edge research at The Ottawa Hospital. In ten years, THE RIDE, powered by Mattamy Homes, surpassed the $14 million mark.
Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, said the research advancements we’ve seen in the last ten years have been remarkable. “When you look at immunotherapy treatments and CAR-T cell therapy for cancer treatments to stem cell treatments for MS patients, support for research at The Ottawa Hospital has been truly transformational. The dedication we’ve seen from so many riders and volunteers over the past 10 years has been an incredible way to bring our community together.”
“The dedication we’ve seen from so many riders and volunteers over the past 10 years has been an incredible way to bring our community together.”
Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation
When it comes to inspiring our community to give back to The Ottawa Hospital, Mattamy Homes has been a true leader. Kevin O’Shea is Mattamy Homes Division President, “We not only take great pride being the title sponsor of THE RIDE, but we also participate as a team. It’s a positive way to promote health and wellness in our workplace, as well as, support our leading health care centre in eastern Ontario.”
Making THE RIDE come to life over ten years ago had a great deal to do with Robert Merkley, founder of Merkley Supply Ltd. The team captain of The Brick Peddlers, Merkley had a vision of bringing a phenomenal cycling fundraiser to Ottawa and he, along with Claude DesRosiers and Roger Greenberg, helped make it a reality. “I remember thinking to myself, if I was spearheading this new fundraiser for The Ottawa Hospital, I had better bring together a good, strong team. That’s how The Brick Peddlers came to life. I’m proud to say it’s the largest, most successful and most enthusiastic RIDE team.”
In addition to the 50KM closed route and the 109KM open road route, the 10th edition of THE RIDE also saw the inaugural Alinker one kilometre loop. Dozens of participants joined THE RIDE using the Alinker, a relatively new walk assist bike. These bikes give people with mobility challenges a chance to be a part of this vital fundraiser for research at The Ottawa Hospital – research which could potentially help them one day.
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals, with more than 1,200 beds, 12,000 staff members and an annual budget of about approximately $1.3 billion.
Our focus on learning and research helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the eastern Ontario region and our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care.
From the compassion of our people to the relentless pursuit of new discoveries, The Ottawa Hospital never stops seeking solutions to the most complex health-care challenges. For more information about The Ottawa Hospital, visit ohfoundation.ca.
