A Canadian Pacific excursion train running on the Cascade Sub - 10 Jul 2011 Andy Cassidy.

3 August 2011

Train Ride Fundraiser on Track

Wetaskiwin, Alberta - It's full steam ahead this week in Wetaskiwin, as the Canadian Pacific Train Ride to benefit Children's Wish rolls into town.
 
The event aims to raise money for Children's Wish by taking passengers on train rides to Bawlf and Hardisty at a cost of about $30 a ticket.
 
CP Spokesman Kevin Hrysak said the event is an important community outreach project for the railway giant.
 
"Working with Children's Wish allows us a way to give back to the community," he said. "Canadians have been so good to us through the years that we want to find ways to be good to them."
 
The CP partnership with Children's Wish began at a grassroots level.
 
"Our involvement stems from a yard in Saskatchewan that started collecting bottles to raise money for Children's Wish," Hrysak said. "From there, it sort of snowballed to become a company-wide initiative."
 
Children's Wish Alberta-Northwest Territories spokesperson Megan Innes said Children's Wish is grateful to have corporate involvement from CP. "Most of our support comes from individuals, which is great, but having a large corporation behind you is incredible," she said.
 
That support has managed to raise more than $200,000 for Children's Wish, including more than $70,000 this year alone.
 
Innes said the goal for this year's campaign is $100,000, and the group is close to reaching that mark.
 
"With the reception and support we've received so far this year, I think that our goal is certainly attainable," she said.
 
Innes added each wish costs an average of $10,000, so the goal is to be able to grant the wishes of 10 children through the campaign.
 
"This year's campaign should enable us to grant more wishes and bring a positive into a child's life," she said and hoped the CP train ride would heighten the awareness of Children's Wish.
 
"This is also an opportunity for us to introduce ourselves in communities where we aren't well known, and show them how fantastic our charity and our goals are," she said.
 
The 900-foot train is styled to look similar to the passenger trains that rode the rails in the early 1950s. Hrysak said riding a passenger train for the first time is often a draw for the event.
 
"There are a lot of people who have never had the opportunity to ride a passenger train, so we offer something unique and different, and we do it for a good cause," he said.
 
Innes said this mix of curiosity and altruism were what made the CP train ride so important.
 
"This is an event where people can help make a child's dream come true, and they get an interesting experience out of it as well," she said. "So it's a win for both the charity and the contributors."
 
Ian Vandaelle.