By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Northumberland County council has declared May 27 Ride For Rebound Day in honour of Rebound Child and Youth Services and its important fundraising event that takes place that day.
Rebound Executive Director Nicole Wood appeared at Wednesday’s meeting to explain the services the event will support, along with Cobourg Police Chief Paul Vandegraaf who originated the event out of sheer COVID boredom.
“It was a crazy idea I had three years ago in the midst of COVID, when I decided to ride right across the county to recognize the stress our youth were encountering at home with everything virtual, virtual, virtual,” Chief Vandegraaf recalled.
“I took it upon myself to do this crazy thing called the Chief’s Ride for Rebound. The proof of a legacy is when it’s no longer about you, it’s about a program.”
Over the past year, Wood said, they have supported some 2,500 youth aged seven to 18 as well as their families.
“This really does make a representation of the entire county,” she pointed out.
“Only about 46% of the population served is from Cobourg and Port Hope.”
The work is vital, Wood said, since these children are the next generation of Northumberland County. Services cover a broad range of areas, including mental health, youth justice, and support for learning and education.
Through a special grant, they were able to offer a Family Wellness Hub for children who might be too young for some of these services. Wood described it as “an intensive family check-up program” that served 60 families before the grant expired.
The May 27 ride aims to be inclusive, with a variety of routes – 10K, 25K, 40K – in addition to the 80-km one Chief Vandegraaf will cover.
Without this help, he said, “the Family Wellness Hub will not happen. Grief counselling will not happen without the support we get from this very generous county. And that’s why Ride For Rebound is very important.”
He thanked the people at Rebound for their work in continuing this event.
“All I have to do is ride a bike, and you know what they say – you never forget,” he said.
Warden Mandy Martin said she has seen the work Rebound does through the Ontario Health Team-Northumberland clinic in Colborne.
“I can attest to the wonderful work of these programs and the mental counselling,” Martin said.
“It has just been a wonderful service and a wonderful outreach. Nothing but respect for you both.”
You can register to offer your support on your choice of route at www.rcys.ca/ride
