Ken Herar Cycling For Cultural Diversity
Via my friends Summer Dillon and Rick Rake I found out that Ken Herar is embarking on a four-day, 200 km cycling expedition from May 18-21 from Mission to Victoria. His intention is to create awareness and showcase the need for harmonious and cultural diversity.The campaign is called ‘Cycling for Diversity’.
From the information I was sent:
The trip ends on the United Nations World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, shining a spotlight on the area’s diverse ethnic populations and the growing need for inclusive communities. Herar and his small group of riders will be stopping in Mission, Abbotsford, Langley, Surrey, New Westminster, Burnaby, Vancouver, Richmond and Victoria enjoying classroom visits and civic celebrations.
During the trek, Herar will be riding a Devinci Oslo Hybrid road bike, which was loaned from Wentings Cycle & Mountain Shop in Mission. Herar hopes to raise funds to purchase the bike and donate it to someone in need.
“By creating awareness, we are making a difference,” said Herar. “But we should never stop building cultural bridges.”
On the first day of the trip, the Cycling for Diversity team visits Griner Park in Mission at 8:15 a.m. for a diversity tree planting. The tree is a Ginko Biloba- an evergreen native to China, which is known to have medicinal properties. The District of Mission has also declared May 16 to 21 its official Cultural Diversity Week.
From Griner Park, the squad will make five stops at Mission schools and the Mission Indian Friendship Centre where they will engage in discussions about diversity and the cycling trip. From Griner Park, the team team will travel to Dasmesh Punjabi School in Matsqui Village before they speak to a Grade 12 Law class at W.J. Mouat Secondary at noon.
The next stop is Gordie and Colleen Howe Middle School where the team will be heralded by cheering students waiting on the school track. A second tree planting is set at 2:30 p.m. at Old Yale Road and South Fraser Way. Three maple trees will be planted to celebrate the ride. Canada Safeway in Abbotsford is the next stop at 3:30 p.m. followed by an hour-long diversity celebration featuring entertainment by Korean drummers and delicious Safeway snacks.
At 5 p.m. the team will also make a quick visit to the Abbotsford Heritage Sikh Temple to pay their respects to the historic building, which is celebrating its centennial. By nightfall the cyclists will make their way to Langley for more diversity activities to follow the next day. The trip concludes in Victoria at Legislature. The schedule for the next three days will include more school and civic visits. For those interested in riding or for more details, contact Ken directly at 604-615-2499.
For real time updates, supporters are encouraged to view the Cycling for Diversity Facebook page or follow @RickRake who is live-tweeting along the way. Donations for the bike Herar will be riding can be made to Envision Financial, Account #4577128 at the Mission branch.
