'We're overwhelmed by the support'

Last year at this time, Blake Wheeler and his family of five were participating in their first Ride Inside: Come Wheel with the Wheelers event.
It was impossible not to get caught up in the energy of the evening, as numerous teams, volunteers, and organizers filled a downtown office building and rode spin bikes together, raising money for the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation - specifically PROFYLE, an initiative to treat the rarest childhood and young adult cancers.
Wheeler, his wife Sam, their three children - Louie, Leni, and Mase - and all those cycling teams raised over $250,000 that night, and plans soon began for the 2020 event.
All those plans had to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Wheelers, the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, and over 40 teams of riders found a way to make sure PROFYLE received the donation it needed.

"Once we found out and came to the conclusion we could do it a different way and still put on a good event, and make it fun for everyone, it was all systems go," said Wheeler.
Teams dressed up in costumes representing their businesses, their sports teams, and even their favourite TV shows, and sent videos into the event organizers. Their rides, stories, and messages were played in a video shared late Thursday night - and the level of support, even in a pandemic, was incredible.
That support raised a total of $362,000 this year, meaning over $500,000 has been donated in the last two years.
"In the middle of a pandemic, with things being really difficult for a lot of different people to have that kind of turnout, that kind of support, is just incredible," said Wheeler. "We didn't know what to expect - with times being different and it's been a strain on everyone for different ways and different reasons - to be quite honest, we're overwhelmed by the support we've gotten."
At the 2019 version of the event, the Winnipeg Jets captain and his family spent time with each of the participating teams. They took photos together and it also gave Wheeler a chance to thank the teams for joining the cause.
With the event being virtual in 2020, Wheeler didn't have the chance to do that, but he and his family gave teams shoutouts throughout the video as their way of thanking them for all their hard fundraising work.
Patti Smith, the Chief Development Officer for the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, said the Wheeler family has been wonderful to work with, dating back to when they decided to get involved over two years ago.
"The process in meeting Blake and Sam to talk to them about this event was wonderful right from the beginning," said Smith. "From there, they made a decision as a family that beyond wanting to be invested in financial way, they wanted as a family to get involved with a specific event. We spent some time talking, and we felt that Ride Inside felt like the best fit."
Wheeler's experiences visiting children in hospitals over the holiday season had an impact on him, and is just one of the reasons he wanted to get involved with CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.
"Every year that I've been at CancerCare and Children's Hospital and visiting with kids who are sick around the holiday season, it breaks your heart every year," said Wheeler. "Once Sam brought it home and we talked about it, it was a no brainer."
Also a "no brainer" was the decision he and Sam made to get their kids involved.
"We're so blessed. We have three healthy kids," said Wheeler. "Not every kid is as fortunate as they are for a number of reasons, but first and foremost for their health. That's a very gratifying thing to be able to give back to families that aren't as privileged as ours have been, and are going through some terrible times.
"To put it on a platform, and see the amount of support people have shown and given to these kids and these families that need it has been really tremendous."
The funds raised from Ride Inside are part of CancerCare Manitoba Foundation's commitment to donate $1 million to PROFYLE over a five-year span.
PROFYLE focuses on providing personalized care for children, adolescents, and young adults up to the age of 29. It also offers other options for patients who haven't had a positive outcome with conventional treatments.
Between 50 and 60 children are diagnosed with cancer in Manitoba each year, and 80 per cent of those are cured (compared to less than 20 per cent decades ago).
While the progress is fantastic to see, Smith says there is still much more to do - so community participation in events like Ride Inside is critical.
"The community has really stepped up," said Smith. "Understanding that in the face of COVID-19, cancer hasn't stopped - and neither have they."
The Wheelers don't plan on stopping either. Along with their annual donation to the cause, they're happy to give back to a community that has embraced them since they arrived.
"We had been wanting to give back to this community for a long time. We've been given so many great opportunities here," Wheeler said.
"To have a platform to make a difference in people's lives is a pretty humbling feeling."