A Calgary woman has made it her mission to bring a bicycle to every child in a small community in Nunavut.
Alison Harper, founder of the Polar Bike Project, noticed the need after moving with her husband to Kugluktuk. The town is about 600 kilometres north of Yellowknife.
Harper began volunteering at a local community centre where the kids were fascinated by the giant winter tires on her bicycle. She decided to go for a ride with a group of kids one day, but one of the boys didn't have a bike, Harper said on CTV's Canada AM.
So, she found him one. And it was the resulting "happiness and joy" on his face motivated her to act, she said.
Harper reached out to her friend, Ron Uhlenberg, who owns Ridley's Cycle bike store in Calgary. Uhlenberg said he would be able to send eight gently-used bicycles to Harper. But bringing them that far north was another challenge.
Harper contacted Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife to see how much it would cost to courier the bikes, but was pleasantly surprised when the company said they would send them for free.
More of Harper's friends learned about the project and posted it to Facebook to help her find more bikes. For those who didn't have a bike but wanted to contribute, Harper set up a GoFundMecampaign to purchase locks, helmets and other equipment.
The response to donate bicycles and funds has been overwhelming, Harper said, with the campaign raising almost $4,500 so far.
Harper hopes to bring a bicycle to every child in the small town, and to teach them the value of physical activity through weekly rides and workshops on bicycle maintenance.
The first 10 bikes came in May, and 42 are due in the next shipment. Harper can't wait to give more bikes to the kids, saying their response was priceless.
"It's been very heartwarming," she said, "and there's definitely some tears of joy."
