George McDougall High School students will be riding toward their million-dollar goal during the 10th full-scale Ride of the Mustang charity bike-a-thon event, held from April 12 to 14.
George McDougall High School set the goal to raise a total of $1 million by year 10 of the annual event, which didn’t happen due to the fundraiser's cancellation in 2020 and a downscaled version in 2021.
“2020 should have been our 10th ride and we should have broken $1 million, but COVID-19 came instead, so we didn't have a ride that year,” explained Kelsey Ahluwalia, a teacher at George McDougall High School and the Ride of the Mustang organizer. “This year we're counting as our 10th ride because it's the 10th year we've actually been able to hold the event.”
To reach their $1 million mark, students must raise a total of $35,000 this year, and Ahluwalia hopes to surpass that goal.
Teams of eight-to-twelve students will ride on stationary bikes in the gym during the 48-hour bike-a-thon, with proceeds supporting the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
“I think the most important thing [the event] teaches students is that the world is bigger than just them and that they can do more to give back than just focus on themselves,” Ahluwalia said.
George McDougall's school resource officer and several students first looked into a similar event in St. Albert to find out how they could set up a similar initiative in 2011, before finding out a student at George McDougall High School was diagnosed with cancer. In support of that student, the first Ride of the Mustang came together.
“That's how it started, but we now don't just focus on oncology, it goes more to Kids Helping Kids [at Alberta’s Children’s Hospital],” Ahluwalia said. “It goes to the hospital for research and equipment, and kind of whatever is really needed.”
Ahluwalia noted there are multiple students at the school who visit the Alberta Children’s Hospital fairly often.
“We figure this is the best way we can support them and [show them] they have a community behind them,” she said.
To honour the meaning of the event, students display who they are riding for around the gym or on their bikes. This can vary from close family members like grandparents or cousins, to friends.
“It keeps it focused on why we do it,” Ahluwalia added.
The Ride of the Mustang, a title based on the George McDougall High School mascot, is a huge school culture event, Ahluwalia said. It brings students together across different interests and athletic abilities.
“Instead of [playing] on different sports teams or not being athletic, it gets us all with the same focus and anyone can participate,” she explained.
The community has been involved in past bike-a-thons at the high school, with corporate teams and even local paramedics and RCMP members biking alongside students. Unfortunately, the uncertainty around COVID-19 restrictions meant the school couldn’t plan for as much community involvement as usual this year.
Several local businesses sponsor the yearly bike-a-thon, but students also do a lot of their own fundraising leading up to the event, including bottle drives, bake sales, babysitting, or asking relatives for support.
The most the amount raised from one year was almost $155,000, which means the $35,000 needed this year to reach the $1 million mark is certainly achievable, according to Ahluwalia.
The bike-a-thon takes place at the high school gym from April 12 to 14. Donations can be made online at mcdougall.rockyview.ab.ca/mustang
