It started, if you can imagine, as an exercise challenge between friends. Nicky Makris (Nicky's Café and Bake Shop) and Dave Moscaliuk (Impact Printers) took up the challenge to ride their bicycles from Regina to Kanata Valley Beach. The following year they encouraged some friends to take up the challenge and, as the group grew, Nicky saw an opportunity to shape the event into a way of giving something back to our community.

Nicky had witnessed friends and members of his Greek community with terminal illnesses go through the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region (RQHR) palliative care program. It was that experience that motivated his decision to raise money for what they felt was "a very good cause." So, in 2001, these two community-minded businessmen created a special event to raise funds in support of Regina Palliative Care Inc. (RPCI).

Over the next nine years, Impact Printers and Nicky's Café and Bake Shop Fun Bike Ride has raised $228,630.24.

Each year, in late August or early September, you will see a group of 40 to 60 bike riders gathering at the weighscales on Highway 1.  Handing in their pledge sheets, chatting with other participants, tuning their bikes, snacking on quiche and muffins, or warming up muscles, each one of them has their own reason to get on their bike and ride down the hill into Lumsden and beyond in support of Regina Palliative Care Inc. And year after year, waiting for them at the end of the ride, is a delicious breakfast prepared the way only Nicky Makris and his staff can do it. Along the route, you will often see Dave Moscaliuk at a rest stop handing out water and cookies, driving in a support vehicle or hauling cyclers and their bikes back to their vehicles after the event. These two are are hands-on fundraisers - no task is too small or too big. They engage sponsors, design the posters and t-shirts, drive the trucks, cook and serve the breakfast, and everything else in between. In so doing, they have both built and left a legacy of support and dedication which they invite others to join in as we approach the 10th anniversary event next year.

Every year, you see familiar faces in the crowd. They return to support RPCI but they also come because of two very caring and generous individuals who have taken their time and energy to enrich their community.

This year, the event had a personal side for Dave Moscaliuk. His father, Sidney, was at that time a patient on the RQHR palliative care program. Although Dave has understood and believed in the need for palliative and bereavement care in his community for many years, Dave and his family were experiencing personally the exceptional care and compassion of the RQHR Palliative Care Team.

Reflecting on the experience, Dave remarked, "The Palliative Care Program helped Mom and Dad cope with Dad's illness and face Dad's approaching death. The homecare program allowed Dad to stay at home as long as possible - this was very important to my parents. When it became evident that Dad could no longer stay at home, Dad made it clear that he felt the palliative care unit was the best place for him."   Over the next week, Sidney Moscaliuk and his family received appropriate, timely and compassionate medical care, as well as individual support, from the palliative care team at a very difficult time.

Louise Cadrin, Director of Palliative Care Services, has been an active participant in the Fun Bike Ride and sees first hand on a daily basis the impact that the contributions from this event have made to the Palliative Care and Bereavement programs. Louise recognizes that, "because of Nicky and Dave's spirit and their incredible commitment of gifting back to the community, our program has been allowed to enhance its care even more through equipment, staff education, supporting volunteer programs, and assisting with resource building.  Ultimately, it is the patient and family members who benefit from this as they move through the end of life and grief experiences. We say thank-you Nicky and Dave!"

Twenty-five years ago, RPCI started as a small, non-profit charity with a specific focus on enhancing and advocating for palliative care in our community. Nine years ago, the Nicky's Café and Impact Printers Fun Bike ride started as a small event among friends who were sharing a challenge, and they raised $7,834.25 that year. In 2009, RPCI has become a nationally-recognized, non-profit charity with a focus on palliative care and bereavement supports in our community, in the province and beyond. In 2009, the Nicky's Café and Impact Printers Fun Bike Ride, thanks in part to new partners such as Jardin Schnurr and Donnie MacKay, raised $92,000.00. We owe a deep debt of gratitude for the legacy Nicky and Dave have built, and we have a deep sense of commitment to continuing in that legacy as we move forward together.