$32,22764%Goal:
$50,000
Kingston
Hosted by Homes for Heroes
What moves you? Join us on Saturday, October 1, 2022 for the Ride for Refuge, a family-friendly bike + walk fundraiser supporting local charities who help people seeking refuge from danger, hardship, and abuse.
Community Sponsors
Kingston (Homes for Heroes) is super grateful for our fantastic 2022 sponsors! View all sponsors >
Kingston Scoreboard
Are you thrashing the competition (for a good cause)? Find out here! Stats are updated every 15 minutes. See how you stack up on the national scoreboard >
About Homes for Heroes
Our mission is to provide a caring and comprehensive solution to homelessness among Canada’s veterans. We are building unique, affordable and innovative urban villages to house veterans during their transition back to civilian life; and, providing full-service, wrap-around programming that will deliver the resources, training and counselling necessary to ensure their success on this journey – enabling them to achieve the goal of living independently in the long term. The design of our Villages is deliberate and is intended to maximize a sense of community, teamwork and peer-to-peer support. This approach was developed in direct consultation with our Canadian Veterans – it is a program developed by Veterans for Veterans and reflects their unique strengths, weaknesses, experiences, social norms, needs and aspirations. These factors, taken together, suggest that Veterans need, and deserve, an approach to homelessness that varies from other homeless populations.
Housing consists of villages of 20 “tiny” homes arranged in an inward-facing, “barracks format” to facilitate peer-to-peer support. But our Villages don’t look like a “barracks” – they are attractive communities, set in a park-like atmosphere. They provide a positive contribution to the host community while creating a sense of pride, identity and ownership among their residents. Each Village will also incorporate a central resource centre, a counselling office, and community garden.
Each home is under 300 square feet in size but fully equipped with all the features of a larger home. “Tiny homes” aren’t just trendy, they are the perfect platform for someone transitioning from living rough: a safe, private, self-contained space in which to keep their belongings, attend to their needs and start on the path to recovery within a community of their peers.
But housing is just the first step, and not an adequate solution by itself. Once housed, we provide our resident Veterans with a customized program of resources, training and counselling necessary to ensure their success on this journey.
In partnership with leading local social service agencies, and Veterans Affairs Canada, we offer individualized counselling and training programs for each veteran, monitoring their progress against a well-defined and proven self-sufficiency matrix. Residency in the Village will be transitional, with the goal of having each veteran leave the Village and re-enter mainstream society, employed, stable and self-sufficient, likely after one to three years, but only when they have achieved their personal goals.
Event Day Details
Save the date - RIDE Day is October 1, 2022!
Schedule
- 3:00 pm: Meet Check-in opens
- 4:00 pm: Move Opening remarks + send-off
- 5:00 pm: Munch Light meal served
- 6:00 pm: Mosey Go Home!
Have questions? Visit the FAQ section!
Check-in
- All participants will check-in personally at the event on Saturday, October 1, 2022.
- T-shirts! Fundraising participants who raise $150+ (or $75+ for those under 18) will receive a RIDE shirt as a thank you on Event Day, while supplies last.
- There is no registration fee to participate in the Ride for Refuge, but most participants raise $250-300 or more in support of their charity.
- No money or cheques will be processed at check-in.
Can't join us on event day? If you have a conflict, we hope you'll join us by fundraising and walking on your own.
Waivers
All participants should register online and accept the electronic waiver.
- Adults: When you register online, you will automatically accept an electronic waiver, which is all that is needed for adults.
- Youth/Children: If you have youth or children on your team, they will need to have their parent or guardian sign a printed paper waiver.
- Someone on your team (like you!) must take a photo of all child/youth waivers and send them to waivers@rideforrefuge.org.
- Waivers will be available at check-in on Event Day.
Route Details
- Route Distances: We have great routes where you can walk 2.5 or 5 km or bike 10 or 20 km.
- Rest Stops: There will be one rest stop on each route with yummy snacks and drinks.
- Signage: Routes will be well-signed with our bold orange RIDE signs.
- Route Support: Route marshals, rest stop hosts, and support vehicle drivers will provide support along the route.
- 12 and under participants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.
What to Bring
A few common sense suggestions:
- A cell phone for emergencies (recommended but not required)
- Your bike and helmet or walking shoes
- Extra snacks if you have allergies or food sensitivities
- Your own water bottle
- Warm layers with moisture-repelling clothing. Early October weather can be cool, with rain and wind. The weather might also be gorgeous and sunny. So be sure to keep your eye on the forecast.
- A passion for the charity you're walking and fundraising for!
Kingston Maps
Check out this year's RIDE route maps below:
Start at Collins Bay Legion at 4034 Bath Road. Turn right and follow Shoreline trail to bike path which leads to Coverdale Drive. Turn Right and walk towards Marina. Turn into Rotary Park and go past parking lot to pavilion where you can use restroom and grab a bottle of water. A more steps around this area to explore dog park and then retrace your steps back to the start!
Begin at the Collins Bay Legion, to Rotary back up to Bayridge and Coverdale down to Front and back to legion. 2 times if doing 20 km
Enjoy a nice walk along the water from the Collins Bay Legion to the pathway which leads up to Coverdale Dr. Once you hit Coverdale, simply turn around and walk the same route to Collins Bay Legion
2021 RIDE Photos
Here's a collection of our favourite photos from RIDE 2021 nationwide - special thanks to our many volunteer photographers who sent them in!
Contact Us
RIDE Kingston 2022
The RIDE Team Participant & Donor Services
Toll Free 1.877.743.3413 / Phone 519.603.2250
Email kingston@rideforrefuge.org