Dear family and friends, My childhood role model. Jennifer Chalmers. Vibrant, full of life, beautiful, loved by everyone. When I was 12, and she was 15, she died from Leukemia. Her death shook me up, shook our whole family up. I remember walking around at school in a daze. I grew up with a brother 2 years older, and male cousins at our family gatherings in south western ontario. I looked forward to all of our gatherings so that I could hang out with Jenny. With this new hole in our family, I wanted to do something at the time so I went to her funeral, wrote her parents a letter expressing what she meant to me, and tried to find opportunities to be a big sister to her brother. These 25 years later, I feel like I can do something by riding my bike across Canada in her memory, and in honour of all other kids and their families who are impacted by childhood cancer. You too can do something to assist children and their families from experiencing the devastation that my and many other families experience when children are robbed of their lives through cancer. I invite you to participate in this journey with me by donating money and considering what contacts you have that could assist me in my goal of raising $30,000 and in our collective goal of $3 million. When you are considering your connection to this cause, please keep in mind that 100% of the donations are disbursed to both local and national childhood cancer programs. This includes: clinical programs in 17 pediatric oncology foundations across the country; programs for families; childhood oncology camping programs; as well as scholarships, tutoring and educational assistance. Please also consider the mental, emotional, physical and financial commitment I am making by taking on this endeavor. I was chosen as one of the 50 riders from 170 applicants to ride from Vancouver to Halifax from Sept. 9 -23rd 2010. I love that 100% of the proceeds go directly toward the cause, and, this means that I, along with the other 49 riders pay a registration fee of $3995 in order to get us across the country. Although I am used to riding 6 days at 100km/day from Toronto to Montreal for the past four years, riding with the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride is a whole new level of physical challenge. One of my main motivations for joining this fundraiser is to see all the different parts of Canada, by bike! I will be drafting with my team over 15 days for 8-10 hours per day, 180 km's each day. Of the total distance across Canada which is 7200 km's, each team will cover 2700 km's. Along the way, we experience the direct impact of the money we have raised through community events where people impacted by childhood cancer will come out to show their support. You can join in on a community event in your area and experience the direct impact of where the donations are dispersed. In order to be prepared for this challenge, the training I am undertaking will consume a large portion of my life this year. I am working with a personal trainer and up at 5:15am many mornings. I am working in a way that I have never worked before! And this is phase one of the training, so it only intensifies from here! Because I love drafting, I am looking forward to drafting with my team across the country. My donors and every dollar raised, and the lives of all of the kids and their families we are impacting will be the energy in the tailwind behind me. With the holiday season in our midst, if you donate now, I will have to spend less time soliciting donations, following up with people, and seeking additional avenues as we move through the months leading up to leaving from Vancouver on Sept. 9th to start this incredible journey. By raising the money earlier, I will be able to focus on the intense training required to prepare my body for this journey. Many people have generously offered to ask their friends and family to donate during the holiday season. You too can do this! I am seeking 6-8 people who will work with me as ambassadors to assist me to reach my goal of $30,000. If you have connections with people in corporations or other ways, and would be willing to connect me with these folks, I have a presentation and video that we can use to make our compelling case for donating to the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride. At any given time, cancer holds 10,000 Canadian children in its grip. It robs them, and their families, of the laughter and joy that should be part of every childhood. Riding in the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride will channel my physical, mental and emotional energy into something much greater. Please join me in this powerful and inspiring experience by helping to fund important childhood cancer charities across Canada. I can only imagine how this could have helped Jenny 25 years ago, and families like ours. Your support and donations will prevent the suffering of other families like ours. For more information of the Foundation’s work, please visit www.CoastToCoastAgainstCancer.org. I look forward to sharing this challenging, powerful, inspiring and invigorating experience with you! Cath