Last Friday, I had the pleasure of both participating in and photographing a new community event in Oakville – The Power of 10 (www.powerof10.ca) It was a little challenging to balance capturing the event as well as support my team and log my 10 minutes on the bike, but it was well worth it. The concept behind Power of 10 is a simple one “that almost anything is possible with a group of like-minded people. Whatever the journey you’re on, getting from A to B is easier with friends.” The journey in this case was to raise funds for The Lighthouse Programme for Grieving Children (www.grievingchildrenlighthouse.org) – an organization that I have supported in various ways in the past. It’s a programme that I am so thankful that my own family has never had to use, but we have friends that have and have greatly appreciated the support provided.
My first involvement with Power of 10 came last spring when the event was taking shape. Organizers needed to be sure that there would actually be enough people interested to make the event a success. When my friend asked me to be on her team, I chuckled and hesitated – cyclist I am not! She reassured me that while the event was being held at the Milton Velodrome, we would actually only be riding stationary bikes, and really it was all for fun. Why not? I thought, surely I can manage 10 minutes on a stationary bike in support of a good cause! Fast forward to this autumn, and one of the organizers asked me to assist with event photography. Sure! With the understanding that I wouldn’t be able to capture everything, because I needed to log my time on the bike as well. (Oh yes, and enjoy that fantastic food and refreshments that the generous sponsors had provided, and cheer on my teammates as they pumped their way through their bike shifts.)
So, here are some of my photographs from the evening. I think they capture how much fun we all had! Apart from the fun, what did we accomplish? 1090km were cycled and $35,000 was raised for Lighthouse. Congratulations to the organizing team on a great event. I can’t wait until next year!
