The annual #Ride4Refuge event at COMPASS is a very meaningful and fun way for people in our community to gather in support of refugee claimants.

Matt and Kendra Shantz are two of the kind-hearted participants on the “The Young & The Rest Of Us” team that joined us this year and have graciously shared why helping people seeking safety is important to them.

Here is what they had to say:

“It’s easy to forget what a privilege it is to be born in Canada. The Canadian passport alone gives me guaranteed human rights, protections, access to universal health care, and opportunities many in the world can only imagine in their dreams.

In light of this, getting together to bike with a group of friends through the peaceful Canadian countryside seems like the least we can do to support those who have come to Canada in hopes of a better life. When we bike, when we raise money, hopefully we are making a small contribution to those in our communities who are navigating the challenges of planting roots here in Canada.

My Christian faith teaches me that all people are made in the image of their Creator. Therefore, all people are worthy of dignity, value and worth. My faith also tells me that Jesus cares deeply for the marginalized, the displaced, those without means. It is in light of this that I ride, humbled that I have been given much and hope in some small way to give back.”

Thanks to the Shantz family and all of our 2021 participants we have been able to raise $42,147+ towards our mission to Assist, Accompany, and Advocate for people seeking safety.