Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation is hoping its grand finale charity motorcycle ride will be its biggest and loudest ever.
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The event will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Saturday and foundation officials are hoping hundreds of riders will participate in the police-escorted tour through the region.
It will be the last ride organized by the foundation as it sets its sights on a new campaign.
“Working with our board of directors, we are shifting the focus of our Lansdowne foundation to our upcoming campaign to support the building of a new facility,” Jennifer White, the foundation’s executive director, said in a prepared statement. “This exciting new project will be transformational and will positively impact the lives of the children and families we serve.”
White said the charity ride is an exceptional fundraising event and the door is open for fresh faces to take over management of the ride.
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“It’s our hope to see a 21st annual Lansdowne ride for the kids next year, organized and operated by a third-party,” White said.
The ride was started by Bob Caissie, a local business owner whose family had been helped by Lansdowne Children’s Centre after his children experienced complications in their early years development.
“There could have been some major problems when they were born,” Caissie said in the statement. “We were very fortunate that it all worked out.
“From then on, we had said if we could, we would be there to help families and children in need.”
Since then the charity ride has raised more than $1.2 million in support of programs and services for special needs children.
The centre provides support and services to more than 3,600 children. There are more than 2,600 more children and youth waiting for services and assessments.
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Lansdowne works with children and their families in centres in Brantford, Simcoe, Caledonia and Dunnville, and in a variety of community settings such as homes, schools, child care centres, early learning environments, and camps, as well as through virtual means using streaming video.
For the past 10 years, Lansdowne officials have been working on building a new children’s treatment centre and earlier this year received good news.
Michael Parsa, Ontario’s Minister of Children, Community and Social Services visited Lansdowne Children’s Centre, announced plans to build a new centre in Brantford during a visit and tour of Lansdowne.
Work is underway to secure a location and a timeline for the new build.
This year’s grand finale ride, gets underway with the motorcycle lineup at 10 a.m. July 6 at Brimich Logistics, 15 Kraemer’s Way in the Oak Park industrial plaza. The ride begins at 11 a.m. and will pass the children’s centre on Mount Pleasant Street before heading to Six Nations and Caledonia along the Grand River.
The riders will return by way of Hagersville, Norfolk and Brant counties. Registration includes a hot breakfast and lunch as well as live music by BarCode the Band, sponsored by The Original Maria’s Pizza, Brantford.
Top sponsors of this year’s event include Gates Canada, Renway Energy, Extend Communications, RBC Royal Bank, JH Young Fine Jewellers, Lancaster Construction Bins and the Brandt Group of Companies.
To learn more about the ride visit www.lansdownecentre.ca/cmr
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