Brothers Kirk and Kris Tobias are out for their daily cycle.
There’s a purpose to their rides, whether they’re together or on their own – their thoughts turn to one person, their late mom Karen Tobias and the charity ride they started as a tribute to her.
“Ride for Karen is a charity cycling event my brother and I started in 2002 after our mother Karen died of breast cancer,” said Kirk Tobias, co-founder of Ride for Karen.
The yearly cycling event in Markham is typically held in August and run by an army of volunteers. The event brings out at least 250 riders, all with one thing common – to make a difference while challenging themselves.
Karen was a registered nurse, and her sons said she loved people. She had a five-year battle with breast cancer, and after her passing, Kirk and Kris wanted to keep her name and legacy alive.
“I think sometimes when you do a physical activity it can shut off other parts of your mind,” Kris said. “I said to my brother Kirk, I Just really want to go on a long ride and gather up some of our friends – and he’s the marketing brains of our operation – so he said, ‘that’s great, but we should really tie this into giving back.'”
Give back they certainly did, because after 17 years, the charity ride has raised more than $2.5 million to help make it possible that children with cancer have the opportunity of going to camp.
“100 cents of every dollar that you bring in goes straight to the camps,” Kirk said.
“Like many forms of cancer, pediatric cancer doesn’t seem to be going away,” Kris said.
“It’s well studied, but it’s not going away. So we want to continue to do this work as long as this unfortunate need is there.”
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