Several York professors who share a passion for cycling are gearing up to challenge themselves and raise money for a great cause.
Osgoode Hall Law School Professors Stephanie Ben-Ishai (LLB ’00), Paul Emond (LLB '72), Richard Haigh, Allan Hutchinson, Poonam Puri and Ed Waitzer, together with York Vice-President Academic & Provost Patrick Monahan (LLB ’80), Puri’s husband and York alumnus Elian Terner (LLB ’97) and Haigh’s partner, Charlotte Davis, will participate in the Princess Margaret Hospital's Ride to Conquer Cancer June 12 and 13.
Right: Team Osgoode members. Front row, from left: Allan Hutchinson, Patrick Monahan and Richard Haigh. Back row, from left: Stephanie Ben-Ishai and Poonam Puri. Missing from photo are team members Paul Emond, Ed Waitzer, Elian Terner and Charlotte Davis.
They will cycle from Toronto to Niagara Falls – a distance of more than 200 kilometres – in two days in support of the Campbell Family Institute at Princess Margaret Hospital, one of the top five cancer research centres in the world.
To date, the team has raised $5,780 in donations from their colleagues, families and friends toward their ultimate goal of $25,000. Over the next couple of weeks and months, they will be stepping up their fundraising efforts with a number of awareness-raising initiatives.
One of those initiatives will be an arm wrestling championship – best two of three – that Ben-Ishai and Puri will take part in Thursday, April 1, at 12:30pm in 204 Osgoode Hall Law School, just before Puri’s Business Associations class. No doubt that will bring in a few more loonies for the team’s ride.
“We all know people who have been touched by cancer,” said Ben-Ishai, the team’s captain, noting that two in five people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. “By riding in this event we are doing something about it. We’re rolling closer and closer to the end of cancer.”
In preparation for their bold cycling journey, team members have been training hard. “We’re all in cycling boot camp,” Puri said. “We’re lifting weights, doing pushups, attending spinning classes and getting out on our bikes as often as we can to improve our cycling performance. We are committed to reaching our goal and helping to find a cure for cancer.”
In two years of existence, The Ride to Conquer Cancer has surpassed all other cycling events to become Canada’s most successful cycling fundraiser. More than $28.5 million has been raised for cancer research from The Ride to Conquer Cancer in eight provinces, 14 states and four countries.
For more information about the York cyclists, the Ride to Conquer Cancer, or to donate, visit Team Osgoode on The Ride to Conquer Cancer Web site.