The fourth-annual Brenden’s Ride for Easter Seals will take place on June 17. More than 100 motorcycles and classic cars are expected to meet in downtown Cloverdale before driving to Camp Squamish, as part of a fundraiser and awareness initiative for Easter Seals camps.
Cloverdale’s Brenden Parker organizes the event with his family in order to give youth an opportunity to attend the Easter Seals camp in Squamish, just as he did every summer for seven years.
During Parker’s final year at the camp, BC Easter Seals began to charge $500 a week. Although the fee makes up only a portion of what it costs to host a camper for the week, the new cost for the previously free program was prohibitive for some.
Parker, who loved attending the camp, wanted everyone to have the chance to experience it as well.
The program is a sleep-away summer camp for youth from ages 6 to 18 who have a mental or physical disability. The camp provides a safe, fun environment where kids and teens can participate in activities that they might have never been able to try before, including water polo, canoeing and wheelchair basketball.
“I decided to do a fundraiser to help send kids to camp,” said Parker.
“My dad has a motorcycle and when I said to him ‘I want to do something, what should we do?’ we decided to do a motorcycle ride.”
That was in 2014, when Parker was 17 years old.
Today, Brenden’s Helping Hand provides a subsidy for families that need financial aid in order to send their child to camp. This is the fourth year that Brenden and his family have organized the fundraiser, and the first time they’ve encouraged classic cars to join the ride to the Easter Seals camp in Squamish.
Of course, every vehicle is welcome to join and anyone can participate.
The ride takes place on Saturday, June 17. Riders and drivers start off with a hot breakfast at The Henry in Cloverdale at 8:30 a.m. before taking to the road and travelling to Camp Squamish, where they have lunch, courtesy of Sammy J’s Grill and Bar, listen to live music and can participate in a raffle, silent auction and a motorcycle and classic car show and shine.
The $30 ticket includes breakfast, lunch, a t-shirt and live entertainment. Everything included with the purchase of a ticket is donated by local businesses and organizations – a vitally important part of the fundraiser, according to Baron Parker, Brenden’s father.
“Every penny of that $30 goes towards the cause,” he said. “We wouldn’t do it otherwise.”
Brenden is looking for as many people as possible to join. In the past, the ride has included more than 100 motorcycles – last year, they had 120 riders and raised more than $21,000.
The ride’s goal this year is to raise $30,000.
For more information on the ride, visit brendensride.com. For information on sponsorship opportunities, call Baron Parker at 604-574-1969.