Everyone can Live to Ride
Okanagan Edge Staff - Jun 20, 2019 - Get Involved

Photo: Contributed

Big White Ski Resort and Elevation Outdoors are teaming up this summer to help disadvantaged youth take to the mountain on bikes.

Elevation Outdoors is a Kelowna-based charity that kicked off its four-day adult mountain bike camp earlier this week, and it will conduct a youth one starting on July 9. Proceeds from both camps will go to Elevation Outdoor’s Live to Ride program, which gives youth between the ages of 12 and 18 the chance to learn the sport.

“Not everybody is represented, and not everybody has equal opportunity to gain experience in the outdoors,” Elevation Outdoors executive director Mike Greer said in a press release. “The participants don’t have to pay anything to come out. They have seven weeks of biking, and we provide the bikes and helmets. They just need to show up with clothes they’re comfortable in and closed toed shoes they can ride in.”

To qualify for a scholarship, youth must meet one of five different criteria: if the parents or guardians of the youth are at or below the low income cut-offs as published by the CRA; if the youth, parents or guardians are on social assistance; if they’re involved in the foster care system; if they’re on parole, probation or in a restorative justice program; and if they get a referral from a mental health practitioner.

“We really do try to open our doors to young people from backgrounds that historically don’t have access or have limited access to these sports and try to be the gateway to getting more of them out,” Greer said.


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