One national cycling-based fundraiser is reimagining its event in an effort to support charities struggling throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Every October, participants across Canada ride or walk during the Ride for Refuge event in order to fundraise for as many 200 different charities that assist refugees and other displaced, vulnerable, and exploited people.

When it started 16 years ago in Kitchener, the bike ride was meant to simulate the process of seeking refuge, explained Brian Carney, the CEO of Blue Sea Philanthropy, which runs Ride for Refuge.

“There was some sort of connection between (people) suffering on their bike for an hour and a half and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t imagine having no options other than to flee,’” Carney said.

This year, participants won’t be able to ride together in central locations across Canada, due to COVID-19. Instead, the organization has introduced Ride ‘Freestyle’ which aims to expand the focus beyond bike riding.

Some individuals are quilting to fundraise, said Carney, while others are putting on musical performances and asking donors to give. Participants are also invited to ride their bikes in smaller, COVID-friendly groups in compliance with local laws.

Across Canada, critical fundraising events have been forced to change due to COVID-19. Often, that means a loss of revenue — the Canadian Cancer Society’s virtual Relay for Life brought in only $4.2 million this year, a fifth of what it had raised in the previous two years.

Last year, 200 charities partnered with Blue Sea to receive money from the Ride for Refuge. This year the number of participating charities has decreased 30 per cent, Carney said.

“The charitable sector — it’s so hammered,” Carney said. “I think about all the golf events and spring galas. … Even galas, what’s the future of that?”

Ride for Refuge’s partner charities are facing revenue losses at a time when many of their clients are directly impacted by COVID-19.

Refugee claimants in particular have been hard-hit by the pandemic, said Shelley Campagnola, the executive director of the Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support (MCRS).

Campagnola’s organization works with refugee claimants — people who arrive in Canada and then claim refugee status. After they arrive, they face an uphill battle to prove their claim for asylum.

When COVID-19 hit, that legal process ground to a halt.

In late March, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada postponed all of its hearings in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hearings restarted slowly in August, but many of the refugee claimants the refugee support agency works with remain trapped in legal limbo.

Many are socially isolated, said Campagnola, with some scraping by on social assistance from Ontario Works because they’re ineligible to receive federal pandemic assistance. Others won’t be able to receive the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), despite having their asylum claims recognized, since they aren’t permanent residents.

She says one family her agency works with has been waiting since February to have an initial eligibility interview, which will determine if they meet the basic requirements to make a claim. Because of that delay, the family is unable to legally work.

“These people are going, ‘When can I get a job? When am I going to hear if I can stay in Canada?’” she said.

Rob Gast, a pastor at Creekside Church in Kitchener and Waterloo, will be fundraising for the Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support through Ride for Refuge this year along with other members of the congregation. He’s hoping to host a small, socially-distant bike ride in October.

“(The Ride) is a great way to push back against feeling isolated,” he said. “We’re trying all we can to bring some degree of connectivity for people.”