#RideForRefuge Well I Did It…Kinda

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Alberta, Calgary, community, compassion, Diana Schwenk, Fundraising, generosity, Gratitude, Hump Day Chronicles, laughter, Life's like that, living in the moment, Oxford House, passion, Purpose, recovery, Relationships, Ride for Refuge, thank you, world issues

Post registration, pre-ride photo.

WE HAD ANTICIPATED WARMER WEATHER, 19c/67f degrees to be exact, but in Calgary, it is hard to predict weather beyond 48 hours. On ride day, it seemed nice enough outside early in the morning, but it got quite windy and cold after the riders were sent out. And I swear, that no matter what direction the route took, the wind was blowing cold and full blast, into my face. Coupled with that, having gained at least 15 pounds since last year’s ride, I ended up having to dismount, a couple of times, part way up hills, and walk them.

I can laugh about it today, but another thing I did on ride day, was miss the 10km turn off, so I unwittingly rode about 5km more than I signed up for,(probably a good thing, seeing as I have gained weight), but I took two others with me! So you’d have to ask Earl and Kellie how they felt about me misleading them – sorry guys!

None of that is important when compared to the benefit that resulted through the compassionate efforts of the riders, walkers, donors and volunteers, who all played a role in raising over $20,000 for Oxford House. Practically speaking, this means that eight men or women in recovery, will have a home, and support in their recovery, for an entire year!

I personally want to thank those 20 people who supported my ride – together we raised $1,335! Also, I want to thank the 12 people who joined my team  who along with you, fundraised $5,460 in total for Oxford House.

My team, the Riders for Recovery

(L-R) Diana, Earl, Kellie, Tracey, Trish, Dean, Michael, Leanne, Ava and Pat. And missing from this photo are: Jaidyn, Ziyan, Karim and Donald

Who says you can’t goof around and work hard at the same time?

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

 

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We Did It Together – Thank You!

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Alberta, Calgary, community, compassion, Diana Schwenk, Edmonton, Events, Fundraising, Hump Day Chronicles, Oxford House, recovery, Ride for Refuge, thank you

Here are all the people who rode and walked for Oxford House on Saturday, October 1, 2016. That’s me, second from the left!

It was a great day. It was raining and I was soaked to the bone, but they told me that last year there were some pretty strong winds which made the hills all the much harder.

Let’s ride!

Some of the hills were a challenge for me, but I pushed through one push of the pedal at a time. I just kept thinking about the residents we would be helping and those of you who supported my ride.

And at the eleventh hour, a final donation came in that helped me reach my personal goal of $2,000 which will provide 1 resident in recovery with a safe and supported home for an entire year – thanks to you and all the others who supported me!

At an organizational level, Oxford House raised in excess of $13,000 which will provide an entire house of 5 residents, and then some, a safe and sober home for an entire year!

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Thanks again to everybody who supported me and all the Oxford House riders and Walkers!

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Thank You For Your Support!

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addiction, Alberta, Calgary, Canada, Edmonton, Fundraising, living in the moment, mission, Oxford House, passion, Purpose, recovery, Ride for Refuge

It means so much more than I can express in words, but I’m going to give it a shot!

On October 1st, I’m taking part in the Ride for Refuge to support a charity that’s very close to my heart – Oxford House Foundation of Canada.

I am so grateful to those of you who made a donation. Your support means so much to me, but more importantly it makes a huge difference in the life of someone in recovery living in an Oxford home.

To date, you have helped me raise $725. That translates to providing a safe and sober home for a man or woman in recovery for 133 days! And that’s just amazing – YOU are amazing!

Let me tell you why this matters so much to me; why I’ve decided to participate in the Ride for Refuge to support Oxford House.

As you might know, I’ve spent the last twenty-five plus years in the non-profit sector, working toward empowering some of the most vulnerable people to live their lives to the fullest. I have now found myself at Oxford House, an organization that helps men and women in recovery by providing a home – a safe place where they can be themselves and honest about their situation. Where they can get support from experienced and caring support workers. Where they can be supported by, and provide support for, their roommates who are taking the same journey toward an enriched and full life equipped with the tools they need to stay sober.

I’ve only been at Oxford House for a little over a year and have met so many amazing people through Oxford House, like John, who made an insane amount of money up north and fell headfirst into addiction. When he was finally ready to take his life back, he found his way to Oxford House where he found a job with way less pay than he was used to, yet allowed him the space he needed to work on his sobriety and help others along the way by volunteering at meetings. To his amazement, John was able to save more money than he thought possible because he was no longer feeding his addiction. John has come a long way since he first landed on our doorstep. He continues to go to meetings, work with sponsees and share his story.

John plans to marry his girlfriend soon and has just purchased his first home. I am so proud of John, and so proud to work with the amazing and passionate team at Oxford House as they help countless other men and women to take their lives back.

So thank you so much for supporting my ride. You are making a huge difference!

Can I ask one more thing of you? Would you kindly share this post with others in the blogosphere or Facebook, Twitter, etc., who may be interested in supporting me on my ride to help others like John?

Donations to this worthy cause can be made securely through the link below – using credit card or Paypal, and your friends will receive a charitable receipt immediately. 

https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=3475343&langPref=en-CA

Thank you again for helping me to reach my goal!

Diana

Please Support My Ride!

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Alberta, community, Diana Schwenk, donate, Fundraising, Hump Day Chronicles, passion, Ride for Refuge

July 23 Update: I am happy to say I’ve hit $580 as of today. Thank you to all my blogging friends who donated. ❤

I must be out of my mind. On October 1st, I’m going to get on my bike (can you imagine?) and huff and puff my way to the finish line in the Ride for Refuge, a walking and cycling event for the displaced, vulnerable, and exploited.

I’m doing it because I want to help the residents of Oxford House Foundation of Canada, and I want to do it even more than I hate biking up hills. And even though I’m not in the best of shape, I’m willing to ride, along with my team members and other Oxford House teams to raise funds to support a whole house of residents for a whole year! Would you be interested in sponsoring my grueling journey?

Here’s how much I’ve raised thus far. Please help me reach my goal!

Oxford House is an awesome organization that helps people in recovery from addictions through the provision of safe and effective sober homes where residents can work on their sobriety, heal broken relationships and take their lives back just like Jordan did. (See his story below)

So, will you support my ride by donating $25 or $50 or any amount you choose? Click on the link below to visit my page and give securely online:

https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=3475343&langPref=en-CA

Thanks in advance for your support!

Leg-crampingly yours, Diana

 

Jordan’s story 

Jordan says living in an Oxford home with other men who understand where he is coming from and know the same struggles that he is going through is instrumental in carrying him forward. Jordan developed the skills he needed for life-long sobriety in his Oxford Home. “I’m the kind of guy who wears my heart on my sleeve. During my stay at Oxford House I learned how to read people, how to assess environments and how to take my recovery one day at a time.”

His roommates were crucial to his recovery. Five guys all living under one roof, all of whom, in his words, “you can’t pull the wool over their eyes, they know when you’re not being honest.” Oxford House was the healthy environment Jordan needed and he very much appreciated the ‘No Strike’ rule. “If you’re not ready, can’t stay clean and sober, you’re out.”

But bar none, the best thing that’s happened as a result of his sobriety is the restoration of his relationship with his daughter.

“She’s my heart, no words can express the way I feel about her.”

As to when his addiction began, Jordan says, “My addictions started when I was 19. I had low self-esteem, low self-worth.” During his time in high school, he lost confidence in himself. He started to drink which in turn led to marijuana, crack and opiates. Over the years, Jordan learned many hard lessons. He had many ‘bottoms’ – relapses, Jail, almost died once and was homeless three times.

“The first time I tried to stop, I was 25 and I’m 36 now.”

There came the day when he’d had enough. He determined to use his hard times to change his life and lean on his higher power. “Faith is the cornerstone of my recovery. I’ve been sober nine months now, that’s the longest I’ve ever been clean.”

On April 1^st Jordan moved into his own apartment.

Jordan continues to attend 12-step meetings and one of his closest supports is his sister, who is also in recovery. He also started working out recently.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

Sponsor Diana

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