'Great experience': Tour de Rock riders meet with students in the Cowichan Valley
The Tour de Rock team was in the Cowichan Valley on Tuesday to mark day 11 of their 14-day ride to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.
"The awareness that we're raising, and the children at schools learning what we're doing, it's a special thing," said rider Kenn Mount, Fire Chief for the District of Central Saanich.
"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, it's a great experience for sure," he said.
The team made stops at schools and community events where cheques and cheers were waiting for them.
Mount hopes the visit also inspires students to want to be scientists, police officers or "just to really give back to our community."
This year's donations will add to the $27-million that Tour de Rock has already raised over the past 25 years, which goes towards pediatric cancer research and to help send kids with cancer to Camp Good Times.
Island resident Kim Walters donated $400 to this year's tour in honour of her grandson who is now 14 years cancer free.
"The success rate now with children with early childhood cancer has increased immensely because of things like this where they can do the research that's needed," she told CTV News.
"Hopefully one day no child will have to go through this."
The tour touches a range of Vancouver Island residents and volunteers.
Support team member Simon Douthwaite's daughter survived leukemia.
"I'm really please to be here and to have the community support up and down the island," he said. "I just love Vancouver Island."
Riders are readying themselves for the home stretch of the tour, which ends on Friday.
CTV News will be live with the team on Friday, with riders hoping to raise more than $800,000 this year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
Nicki Minaj detained by police in Amsterdam for allegedly possessing soft drugs
American rapper Nicki Minaj said she was held at Amsterdam Schiphol airport on Saturday on allegation of possession of soft drugs.
American Airlines drops law firm that said a 9-year-old girl should have seen camera on toilet seat
American Airlines has replaced the law firm that told a judge a nine-year-old girl was negligent in not noticing there was a camera phone taped to the seat in an airplane lavatory.
Public safety minister pledges to 'massively' reduce auto theft
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc insists the federal government is 'doing everything (it) can' to eliminate auto thefts in Canada, and he hopes to see 'a significant reduction quickly' following this week's announcement of new measures to counter the problem.
Three dead after vehicle leaves road in Shediac: N.B. RCMP
Three people have died after a vehicle veered off the road in Shediac N.B., Friday morning.
More enoki mushrooms, Lamborghini Urus and promotionally-gifted tumbler cups: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada, Transport Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued various recalls this week. Here's what you need to know.
A woman took her dog to a shelter to be euthanized. A year later, the dog is up for adoption again
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.