It takes fitness and courage to cycle 200 km in two days – but the key ingredient is community support.
That’s what the cycle team “Trillium Titans” found when they signed up to ride in the Cycle of Life Tour. The annual event sponsored by Think Communications has raised more than $2.6M for hospice care on Vancouver Island since 2011.
“Residents of our retirement community have really rallied around our cycle team and cheered us on,” says Debra Prior, Director of Community Relations for Trillium Communities.
“Everyone has had experiences with loved ones impacted by hospice care and the phenomenal services hospices provide. Everyone has been touched by grief and loss, and our residents wanted to do something positive to make an impact.”
Members of the retirement community helped the Trillium Titans raise $7,000 for hospice care in just over two weeks in 2024.
“One gentleman who had recently lost his son said to us, ‘I know the great work hospice does and I’ve been impacted by it personally.’ He opened his wallet and wrote a cheque for $1,000 – we were floored by it.”
A Licenced Practical Nurse who began her career at Victoria Hospice, Debra says the way hospice provides care for the whole family has stayed with her from day one.
“Something I learned at hospice and have taken with me everywhere is the hospice approach to caring for the person and their family with dignity and respect. Everyone deserves that. And hospice does such a good job of keeping people comfortable – even for family members in bereavement. This care is so greatly needed.”
That compassionate care – and the need for it – was brought up time and again by residents who shared their experiences with the cycle team.
“They said, ‘It was my spouse, my family member, my sister, my child.’ The residents’ involvement in the Cycle of Life Tour was an avenue to talk about their hospice experience, and their grief too. And was a way for people to do something positive and make an impact.”
“It allowed our residents to share some of that grief and talk about it, realize that everybody is in the same boat, and we can all support each other,” she says. “Whether you’re at work or you’re at in a residence, or in a business, you can all share those stories and support each other. You’re more connected than you realize by something that may be uncomfortable topic to talk about, but it’s actually very important.”
Trillium Communities has stepped forward as the finish line sponsor for the 2025 Cycle of Life Tour, with plans for more ways to involve residents and community members.
The 2025 Cycle of Life Tour takes place July 19-20. Learn more about the event and pledge your support at cycleoflife.ca.