Five years ago, JP phoned me out of the blue and told me I needed to join a new cycling event to raise money for palliative care in a hospital. JP was doing it for his father, who he was losing to cancer. He needed to do something – anything - to make sense of what was happening to his father and his family.

I jumped at the chance to do the ride. I had lost my mother to leukemia, and to ride in her honour meant a lot to me. She had been in remission when she died unexpectedly. I wish I could have gone through the palliative care experience with her. Not being able to take that journey and say goodbye was a difficult loss.

I didn't know much about palliative care, but I knew enough to realize that if people didn't even know what palliative care was or if they weren't willing to talk about it openly, they certainly weren't raising money for it.

This became crystal clear one day when we were taking a promotional picture of our fundraising cyclists. A passerby asked what we were doing. We explained we were trying to raise money for palliative care, and then explained that palliative care is about improving the quality of life for patients facing life-threatening illness and their families. The woman asked, "Why would you raise money for dying people?"

Ouch! It was precisely because of this attitude that we needed to raise awareness and funds. The answer to her question was simple for us. We believed the final stage of life was no less important than the beginning.

The problem, as we quickly discovered, was that our cause was not winning popularity contests when it came to raising funds. It's so much easier to raise money for a cure. The hope and optimism that accompanies curing a disease beats the reality that people die, hands down. We tried explaining to anyone who would listen that spiritual hope and healing in palliative care were equally important.

Apparently the subject wasn't popular with cyclists either. When we hadn't managed to register very many cyclists, the hospital that we were raising funds for made a business decision. Our fundraising efforts were rejected, along with our heart-felt eagerness to help people live their final days in comfort and dignity.

We were crushed, but we had to do something – we couldn't stand inaction and we didn't want to give up our dream. So we made our own business decision.

With summer approaching, JP and I created a new ride. Given that we only had three months to put an entire event together from scratch, it wasn't the smartest business decision we'd ever made. Initially we had no name for the ride and no website. There was the possibility that we wouldn't have enough time to put all the details together or be able to pay for all the expenses. We only had each other to use as a sounding board. So we brought our skills together – JP knew everything about bikes and how to sell the ride and I knew how to organize and get things done.

Our bike ride proposal sparked feedback that we didn't always like. Some individuals thought we should change the focus of the ride to cancer research. We resisted. We weren't prepared to sell our ride any other way. We figured our cause was nothing if not egalitarian, as we were pretty sure everyone dies eventually.

With some seed money from JP's bike store and our determination intact, we begged and cajoled until people were willing to either cycle or volunteer. The day of our ride came on a beautiful sunny day. We had t-shirts, balloons, hamburgers and even some draw prizes. I will never forget the sight of 27 cyclists crossing our make-shift finish line after riding for 100 kilometres, with huge ear-to-ear grins on their tired, sweaty faces. I got goose-bumps.

While the $27,000 we raised that day wasn't earth-shattering, I could see the potential that the hospital failed to recognize. I knew what we had accomplished. So what do ordinary people do when they get goose-bumps? They find their calling.

In the end, I can say, without an ounce of resentment, that having the first hospital turn down our fundraising efforts was ultimately the best thing that could have happened. I've learned so much about palliative care, met wonderful nurses and doctors who care deeply about their patients, met grateful families who were profoundly touched by their palliative experiences and I've been enriched by it all.

Today, we're still doing our annual ride. Our stubbornness has paid off, and within the next year we'll be completing a $1 million pledge to a much smaller, but much more grateful hospital – The Credit Valley Hospital. Then we're on to our next project - fundraising for hospices across Ontario.

I figure rejection isn't always a bad thing – it can lead ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.

For more information about The Healing Cycle ride on June 27, 2010, visit www.thehealingcycle.ca or call Heather Campbell at 905-820-6081.

Peel Cup Winners
The Peel Cup Championship was held from April 24-26 at the Vic Johnston Community Centre and Arena. Teams from across Peel competed in a series of thrilling matches in support of local charities. In the end, Team Mississauga won the championship with a score of 5-2 over Tim Horton's (TDL Group). A cheque for $5,500 raised in support of the Vita Centre was presented to the team by Councill George Carlson in May. Congratulations!

Mother's Day Contest Winners
Thanks to the generosity of local businesses in Streetsville, 12 residents won the 2010 Mother's Day "Queen For A Day" draw, which was held on May 10! The winners were Liz Honsberger (Hot Tips Nails N'Esthetics), Myra Remedios (Ontario Christian Book Store), Sarah Weaver (Kittaya), Trinita Posnoal (Urselina's Concepts), Nancy Doggett (Sari Yoga Studio), Roz Tilley (M&M Meats), Josie O'Brien (Crafted décor), Catherine Ip (Serenity Massage), Maria Barreto (European Skin Care), Jennifer Cramb (Cake Royale), Edith Drew (Queen's Fish & Chips) and Joann Marks (De La Crepe). Congratulations to all the winners!

Cinco De Mayo
Cantina Mexicana celebrated Cinco De Mayo on May 2 with a live musical performance by students from The Conservatory of Music. Students from the conservatory performed a number of vocal and musical performances in support of the Mexican holiday, named for the country's victory against an invasion of French soldiers in 1862.

Rotary Club Community Clean-Up
The Rotary Club of Streetsville gave back to the environment on May 15 during a community clean-up at Erindale Park. The club worked with City Naturalization staff and representatives from Ecosource to plant 150 trees. The planting will help to keep the Credit River shaded and preserve fish stocks.

Streetsville Arts Fest
The Streetsville Art Collective will hold their third annual Arts Fest on from Friday, June 4 to Sunday, June 6. Held on the same weekend as the Bread & Honey Festival, this event includes scheduled performances by spoken-word poets, visual artists, studio crafters and many more. All artists from Mississauga are invited to participate in Arts Fest, which will be held at various locations throughout the village. For more information, visit www.streetsvillearts.com or call Atiya Ahsan at 905-568-1274.

Relay For Life
On Friday, June 18, take a stand against cancer during the Relay For Life event at John Fraser Secondary School, located at 2665 Erin Centre Boulevard! Teams of 10 will participate in an overnight relay event. There will also be a live stage show, barbecue dinner, pancake breakfast, drinks and snacks provided during the event. Bring your family, friends and co-workers and make a difference in the fight against all forms of cancer. Admission is $10 per participant. The event runs from 6 p.m. – 7 a.m. For more information, call Pam Kiez at (905) 608-8411, ext. 3857.

Join the Streetsville BIA and visit historic buildings across the village during their regularly scheduled walking tours! The dates for 2010 are Saturday, June 26 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sunday, July 18 from 1 – 4 p.m., Friday, August 27 from 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. (candlelight), Saturday, September 18 from 1 – 4 p.m. and Sunday, October 17 from 1 – 4 p.m. Each tour is three hours long, so bring your walking shoes! The tours begin at 265 Queen Street South and are free to the public (no pre-registration is required). Large groups are asked to let the BIA know in advance by calling 905-858-5974 or e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

SHL Golf Tournament
The Streetsville Hockey League will hold their annual golf tournament on June 19 at Lionhead Golf and Country Club. The cost is $150 per person and includes lunch (provided by ICC Health Net), golf with cart and dinner. The tournament begins at 1:30 p.m. with a shotgun start. For pictures, application forms or more information, visit streetsvillehockey.com or call Scott Wonnell at 905-821-2411.

Terry Fox Run in Streetsville
The Terry Fox Run will once again be held on Sunday, September 19 at Memorial Park. Organized by the Streetsville Lions Club, the 10-kilometre route follows the Credit River and is a scenic and safe way for experienced runners and families of all kinds to participate by running, riding or walking. Everyone is welcome to join in the run, which kicks off with a mass start at 8:15 am. Registration will close at 11 am. Donation forms can be downloaded from the Terry Fox Foundation website at www.terryfox.org.