Some students at George McDougall High School shed their locks on Wednesday as part of the ninth annual Ride of the Mustang.

During the event, student teams ride stationary bikes and participate in other fundraising events, like the head shave, to raise money for the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

Teacher Kelsey Payne says the Ride was started in 2011 after a student at George McDougall was diagnosed with cancer. She says all the money raised goes to the oncology unit at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

Payne says so far, approximately $870,000 has been raised for research and machines, and the hope is that this year’s event will bring the total up to the $1,000,000 mark.

“When the community is behind us, it helps the kids understand that they can make a difference. If we just tried to do it on our own, there’s no way it could ever happen. But when they know that they can go out and ask people for help, then as a group together we can all make something happen,” she says.

Grade 12 student Cailey Church helped plan this year’s event and says the community is very supportive.

“Anywhere I’ve called to get donations, they’re always super nice about it, even if it’s a small donation because times can be tough for businesses, but they’re usually willing to do what ever they can for us,” she says.

Jeremiah Nudd, who is also in Grade 12 and helped plan this year’s Ride of the Mustang, says it’s great to be able to give back.

“This Ride has really taken over the community over the past nine years. It’s actually been pretty remarkable. Even with the new schools and all the fundraisers, we’ve still managed to keep Ride of the Mustang really big and we really hope that in the future years that we can keep Ride going strong,” he says.

 

UPDATE: This year's event raised a total of $76,743.94.

 

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