Image Credit: Adam Donnelly / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

LOADS OF LOVE HUMANITARIAN AID

Kamloops resident hiking and cycling every day in June to fundraise for Ukraine

Jun 6, 2024 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops resident Linda Stride has taken on a month-long challenge to ride or hike every day. Her plan is to raise money for aid efforts in Ukraine.

“I figure every day is going to be a challenge for me, scheduling and just physically. But it’s not near the challenge that those people in Ukraine are facing every single day,” Stride told CFJC News on Thursday (June 6).

She’s fundraising for the Loads of Love Humanitarian Aid and Mission Society. Stride says a friend of hers in Edmonton is working to raise $70,000 for this cause for his 70th birthday.

But another part of the inspiration to help out comes from two men who work with her — Mykyta ‘Nick’ Komissarenko and Kiril Komissarenko, who both came to Kamloops from Ukraine.

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“Nick joined me ten years ago when he moved to Kamloops to go to university and then two years ago when the war broke out he tried really hard to move his family over here,” explains Stride. “He was able to move his younger brother Kiril and his mother to Kamloops, but unfortunately his father has not been able to leave Ukraine. That’s another reason why I would like to support Ukraine.”

The brothers have adjusted to life in Kamloops, but are well aware of what is still happening at home.

“It’s been really nice that almost the whole family is now together,” says Kiril.

“Yeah, and safe is the most important part, right?,” adds Nick.

They say fundraising is one way they can support people still in Ukraine who weren’t able to leave.

“Sometimes you have an attachment to the land where you have been born and lived your whole life, it’s also very difficult,” says Nick, “so I think it’s very nice of these people to be helping these other people to live their lives as much as they can.”

Stride will be hitting the trails every day this month. Adding that her timing also happened to line up with the daily activity challenge through the nationwide ParticipACTION contest.

“Again, ParticipACTION Kamloops is trying to win $100,000 for our community and so we are just encouraging citizens, groups, everybody to just move more,” she says.

Donations for Loads of Love will be collected throughout June, as people walk, ride and run for Ukraine.

“I would love to go on the hikes,” says Nick. “It’s one of those things that I like about Kamloops because there’s beautiful nature all around here.”

People can donate to the Loads of Love Humanitarian Aid and Mission Society using the organization’s page on CanadaHelps (click here), or by e-transferring to loadsoflovechatham@gmail.com, including the word KAMLOOPS, with a name and mailing address for a tax receipt.

Registration for the Kamloops ParticipACTION challenge can also be done online, at participACTION.com.