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Nine-year-old James Potvin was already something of a celebrity by the time he rolled into Mooney’s Bay to the cheers of a welcoming party, with fire and police officials, and local politicians among the supporters cheering him to the finish line.
James and his father, Chris Potvin, struck out from their Whitby home last Saturday, hoping to complete the 400-plus-kilometre journey along a network of trails before reaching Ottawa, where young James had set his sights on visiting the massive Giver playground at Mooney’s Bay Park.
Along the way, James and his dad decided they would try to raise funds and awareness for autism.
James is on the autism spectrum, Chris explained, and the father-and-son duo (along with the support of mom Leslie Potvin and little brother Joseph) decided to raise funds for the Grandview Children’s Centre, a Durham region centre for children with special needs.
Chris said the centre is facing a funding shortfall and has 3,000 kids on its waiting list.
Their initial goal was $1,500, but at last check the campaign, currently “trending” on the GoFundMe website, has already exceeded $5,200.
“We felt we could make the trip into an awareness campaign for autism and the struggles kids like James have in school and in society,” Chris said. “It’s been huge for that in the support we’ve gotten and the number of people who have come out and cheered us on along the way.”
After departing Whitby on Saturday, the pair took to the trails, biking along the Waterfront Trail and Cataraqui Trail before eventually connecting with the Rideau Canal.
The Potvins reached out to Scouts Canada, Girl Guides and Cadets for support and shelter along the way, “And they came back with a pile of people willing to help us out, which was incredible,” Chris said.
“The people supporting us are the real story. We’ve stayed with families with kids with Down syndrome, families with kids on the autism spectrum who are waiting for services, and all these people reaching out to help make this a success has been huge.
“And in our community, the people recognizing us on the street and cheering us on has been a big boost to James, knowing he’s not going it alone. We feel kinda special.
James Potvin, 9, completes a ride for autism with his father, Chris, on Friday, Sept 1, 2017. They biked more than 400 kilometres from Whitby, Ont., to Ottawa during the past week.
“The resounding message is that everyone is reaching out to each other and being positive. Everybody is happy to come together and help us in this challenge of getting to Ottawa, but also through life and the struggles of having a child on the spectrum. It seems like everyone wants to be part of each other’s success story and to help each other get there.
“There are a lot of prejudices and a lot of misunderstandings with the (autism) diagnosis. People see a kid acting out, and they have no way of knowing there’s anything different about them than any other kid. So having everybody joining in on this positive message has been so important, because we’ve been helping people understand the kind of care and the kind of love that these kids need.
“We do the best we can as parents, but there can be a lot of feelings of inadequacy, so everyone needs to know there are people out there who care and are willing to help.”
As in life, there were a few bumps in the road along the way.
The Potvins hit their first roadblock in Prince Edward County, arriving at the Millennium Trail, only to realize it was geared for ATVs — “It beat up our bikes pretty bad.”
On the few legs of the journey along paved roads, Chris said the freshly grated gravel shoulder felt like biking through sand — “That extra half-metre of asphalt on the side of the road would have been a game-changer.”
And finally, on the last full day of the trek, with the finish line on the horizon, they ran into some foul weather and whipping winds as they approached the city outskirts.
“When we hit the City of Ottawa sign, James was in tears. It was cold, the wind was against us, it wasn’t quite raining, but he was not a happy camper at that point,” Chris said as the duo ducked into a restaurant for warm food and hot chocolate to keep themselves going.
“We kept saying, ‘The slower we go, the longer we’ll be cold, so we may as well keep going.’ Any time it got tough, we’d start singing Little Red Wagon (which became the theme song of the trip) and just pound through it.”
James Potvin, 9, gets a big hug from his mom, Leslie, after completing a ride for autism with his father, Chris.
Chris said the family has been overwhelmed by the support it has received since James came up with the idea for the trip.
“As a dad, I’m very proud of him that he’s done something that not a lot of kids can claim bragging rights to. And it was amazing to see the supporters who came out on a cold and windy (Friday) morning to the finish line. The last 2 km of the ride, James was whooping and hollering and cheering himself on, he was so happy to be here. But to have that welcoming committee here was just icing on the cake. It was wonderful.”
Anyone wanting to contribute to the cause can visit www.gofundme.com/ridejamesride or visit grandviewkids.ca for details.
ahelmer@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/helmera
查看原文...
James and his father, Chris Potvin, struck out from their Whitby home last Saturday, hoping to complete the 400-plus-kilometre journey along a network of trails before reaching Ottawa, where young James had set his sights on visiting the massive Giver playground at Mooney’s Bay Park.
Along the way, James and his dad decided they would try to raise funds and awareness for autism.
James is on the autism spectrum, Chris explained, and the father-and-son duo (along with the support of mom Leslie Potvin and little brother Joseph) decided to raise funds for the Grandview Children’s Centre, a Durham region centre for children with special needs.
Chris said the centre is facing a funding shortfall and has 3,000 kids on its waiting list.
Their initial goal was $1,500, but at last check the campaign, currently “trending” on the GoFundMe website, has already exceeded $5,200.
“We felt we could make the trip into an awareness campaign for autism and the struggles kids like James have in school and in society,” Chris said. “It’s been huge for that in the support we’ve gotten and the number of people who have come out and cheered us on along the way.”
After departing Whitby on Saturday, the pair took to the trails, biking along the Waterfront Trail and Cataraqui Trail before eventually connecting with the Rideau Canal.
The Potvins reached out to Scouts Canada, Girl Guides and Cadets for support and shelter along the way, “And they came back with a pile of people willing to help us out, which was incredible,” Chris said.
“The people supporting us are the real story. We’ve stayed with families with kids with Down syndrome, families with kids on the autism spectrum who are waiting for services, and all these people reaching out to help make this a success has been huge.
“And in our community, the people recognizing us on the street and cheering us on has been a big boost to James, knowing he’s not going it alone. We feel kinda special.
James Potvin, 9, completes a ride for autism with his father, Chris, on Friday, Sept 1, 2017. They biked more than 400 kilometres from Whitby, Ont., to Ottawa during the past week.
“The resounding message is that everyone is reaching out to each other and being positive. Everybody is happy to come together and help us in this challenge of getting to Ottawa, but also through life and the struggles of having a child on the spectrum. It seems like everyone wants to be part of each other’s success story and to help each other get there.
“There are a lot of prejudices and a lot of misunderstandings with the (autism) diagnosis. People see a kid acting out, and they have no way of knowing there’s anything different about them than any other kid. So having everybody joining in on this positive message has been so important, because we’ve been helping people understand the kind of care and the kind of love that these kids need.
“We do the best we can as parents, but there can be a lot of feelings of inadequacy, so everyone needs to know there are people out there who care and are willing to help.”
As in life, there were a few bumps in the road along the way.
The Potvins hit their first roadblock in Prince Edward County, arriving at the Millennium Trail, only to realize it was geared for ATVs — “It beat up our bikes pretty bad.”
On the few legs of the journey along paved roads, Chris said the freshly grated gravel shoulder felt like biking through sand — “That extra half-metre of asphalt on the side of the road would have been a game-changer.”
And finally, on the last full day of the trek, with the finish line on the horizon, they ran into some foul weather and whipping winds as they approached the city outskirts.
“When we hit the City of Ottawa sign, James was in tears. It was cold, the wind was against us, it wasn’t quite raining, but he was not a happy camper at that point,” Chris said as the duo ducked into a restaurant for warm food and hot chocolate to keep themselves going.
“We kept saying, ‘The slower we go, the longer we’ll be cold, so we may as well keep going.’ Any time it got tough, we’d start singing Little Red Wagon (which became the theme song of the trip) and just pound through it.”
James Potvin, 9, gets a big hug from his mom, Leslie, after completing a ride for autism with his father, Chris.
Chris said the family has been overwhelmed by the support it has received since James came up with the idea for the trip.
“As a dad, I’m very proud of him that he’s done something that not a lot of kids can claim bragging rights to. And it was amazing to see the supporters who came out on a cold and windy (Friday) morning to the finish line. The last 2 km of the ride, James was whooping and hollering and cheering himself on, he was so happy to be here. But to have that welcoming committee here was just icing on the cake. It was wonderful.”
Anyone wanting to contribute to the cause can visit www.gofundme.com/ridejamesride or visit grandviewkids.ca for details.
ahelmer@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/helmera
查看原文...
