A round of cheers erupted as Travis Bridge sat down on a stationary bike outside of Nelsonsa国际传媒檚 Bigby Place.

For the next 15 minutes, volunteers and clients danced and waved signs at passing traffic while Bridge pedalled his friends to what they hope is a better year to come.

On Thursday, participants outside Kootenay Society for Community Livingsa国际传媒檚 Bigby Place took turns on the bike during a 10-hour marathon fundraiser.

The event was held to help pay for a trip to Operation Trackshoes, an annual sports festival for adults with developmental disabilities, in Victoria next June.

sa国际传媒淯sually we take a whole van of people all the way to Victoria and participate in the event, but we havensa国际传媒檛 been able to the last two years,sa国际传媒� said program manager Lauren Schellenberg. sa国际传媒淪o wesa国际传媒檙e hoping that 2022 is our year.sa国际传媒�

Bigby Place previously paid for the trip with a grant that is no longer available, so community support worker Phoebe Hannah came up with the idea of a symbolic 10-hour ride to Victoria as a way to fundraise.

Between forest fires and the ongoing pandemic, optimism has been in short supply in 2021. But there was plenty of belief Thursday that 2022 will be a better year.

Participants wore T-shirts adorned with a sun and bike that were designed by Bigby Place clients Jemma Rezansoff and Nick Toner. The sunny T-shirts, Toner said, represented good cheer being spread on Front Street.

sa国际传媒淚t warms our day, and itsa国际传媒檚 beautiful out here in the sun.sa国际传媒�

To help send Bigby Place to Operation Trackshoes, online donations can be made at ksclcastlegar.net.

| tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com
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