Cyclists and walkers filled Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday morning for the annual Hummel Family Healing Cycle Ride, raising $60,000 to keep palliative care services free for Niagara-on-the-Lake residents.
The annual event supports Community Palliative Care & Wellness NOTL, which offers volunteer visiting, bereavement support and equipment lending for people living with life-limiting illnesses and those requiring end-of-life care.
About 40 participants rode the Upper Canada Heritage Trail, cheered on by volunteers and community donors who filled the park with energy and gratitude.
Executive director Bonnie Bagnulo said the fifth annual local ride marks a turning point in community awareness.
The Hummel Family Foundation once again matched donations up to $25,000, helping the organization exceed its fundraising goal.
“We matched our Hummel family donation and surpassed that mark. We’re blessed with a lot of riders, volunteers and community support. It’s been a great day,” said Bagnulo.
Sponsor Rainer Hummel said his family supports groups that struggle most to attract donations.
“They have a lot of trouble raising money, and our family always tries to donate to things that have the most difficulty raising money,” said Hummel. “This is just another one of those things that nobody wants to donate to for whatever reason.”
The ride began years ago as part of a provincial fundraiser in Mississauga, but when the pandemic forced events to localize, NOTL’s organizers decided to keep it close to home.
The Healing Cycle Ride began in 2014 as part of the Healing Cycle Foundation, but during the pandemic, the palliative care group moved it home to Niagara-on-the-Lake, where the local focus caught Hummel’s attention and significantly expanded community support.
“I didn’t like to travel to Toronto, so being able to ride in our own backyard really meant a lot. I’m all about community,” said Bagnulo.
Riders followed the heritage trail from Veterans Memorial Park, passing through Old Town’s quiet roads and farmland on routes ranging from five to 25 kilometres.
Melissa Nixon, the palliative care group’s executive assistant and a board member, said the almost $60,000 raised will help sustain services that many residents do not realize are available.
“People always think they don’t need palliative care, but they don’t realize that we can come on right at the onset of a life-limiting illness,” said Nixon. “It’s not just end-of-life.”
Since 1986, Community Palliative Care & Wellness NOTL has provided its programs free of charge for residents across NOTL and the Niagara region.
Local businesses also contributed raffle prizes, with donations from Carpaccio’s, Big Texas, One Earth Boutique and the Niagara River Lions, among others.
Bagnulo said keeping the ride in NOTL has strengthened the ties between donors, families and volunteers who depend on each other during some of life’s hardest moments.
Donations can still be made through the organization’s website, notlpc.com.
