Scott Turnbull and Gavin Hammond will cycle over 500 km around Lake Rosseau in support of Mind-Aid Muskoka.
In 2021, he and Hammond rode 500 km from the northern end of Muskoka to the southern portion of the district in support of Huntsville’s Enliven Cancer Care.
“We wanted to go for a long ride and do something good for the community and it kind of snowballed from there,” explains Turnbull.
He says the latest fundraising initiative will start at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17 on the driveway of his home in Windermere, located on the 65 km Lake Rosseau loop the pair plan to travel. Turnbull expects they will finish around 6 p.m. on Sunday, factoring in the multiple breaks they will take in-between.
“The things that makes the Lake Rosseau loop so challenging are the very steep and long hills,” details Turnbull. He points out the 10 laps they plan to do will match the cumulative elevation gain for someone climbing Mt. Everest. Also, the total distance of the loop is the same as if they biked from Muskoka to Niagara Falls and back.
“Mind-Aid is a perfect match,” says Turnbull.
The pair have set a fundraising goal of $50,000.
Jody North, executive director of Mind-Aid, outlines with three full-time and three part-time staff, the not-for-profit is “mighty but little.” However, she says they rely solely on donations and grants to operate since they don’t receive long-term funding.
“This is everything to us,” she adds. “It may mean that we’re here next year to help young people.”
Mind-Aid provides mental health support for those 30 years or younger who are having difficulty navigating the healthcare system.
North tells the MyMuskokaNow.com newsroom they’re preparing to launch a wellness hub in partnership with Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario in September.
She explains the hub is a 40-foot motor home that’s been converted to act as a space for youth to address their mental health. “If a young person doesn’t know where to turn, the hub is that door,” adds North. When the hub is launched next month, North says it will travel to all the “nooks and crannies” in Muskoka.
Mind-Aid was established three years ago, so North says this fundraiser will be an opportunity to potentially reach people who have never heard of them.
Turnbull admits it’s “a little absurd” that he and Hammond are trying to do this but adds he’s confident they will complete the loop.
“The thing that really stood out for us about Mind-Aid is the growing need,” he continues. “Over those pandemic years, mental health really came to the forefront.”
