Alongside Hope’s Wild Ride is back in 2026. This year, we’re raising funds to provide solar panels at St. Luke’s Hospital in the West Bank, in partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem. The hospital serves a population of about 455,000 people, including 57 marginalized villages and four nearby refugee camps. But unreliable and costly power sources make health care a challenge during the best of times, or a crisis during the worst of times. As a peer-to-peer fundraiser within the larger Light for St. Luke’s campaign, the Wild Ride is an opportunity to support the hospital in a hands-on way.
This year’s campaign — Watt’s Possible — builds on the spirit of the 2025 Wild Ride, which raised more than $60,000 to provide Solar Suitcases in health clinics in Mozambique and Madagascar. In 2026, we’re shifting the focus to St. Luke’s Hospital and its transition to a reliable source of energy – solar power. This will help ensure quality health care can continue despite frequent power outages and expensive diesel fuel.
Riaz Diab is a nurse in the emergency department at St. Luke’s Hospital. He describes the challenges of caring for patients during the power outages. “I remember one time I was working in the ER, we had multiple patients connected to monitors and other patients needed suturing. The electricity suddenly went out. We had to use flashlights and manual equipment.”
The Wild Ride fundraising goal is $60,000, enough to purchase and install 70 of the 407 solar panels that are part of this project. Each panel will cost roughly $865, which includes delivery, installation and training. Every gift will be matched by a generous donor, doubling the impact!
As a supporter of Alongside Hope, you can contribute directly to the Light for St. Luke’s campaign, or you can take on a personal challenge as a part of the Wild Ride. Every participant chooses an activity that is meaningful to them and uses it to raise funds and awareness for the campaign. There’s no single way to participate. Some participants may take on physical challenges, while others may choose to be creative. The Wild Ride is designed to be a flexible way to fundraise that’s accessible to everyone. Activities could include:
- Walking or running challenges
- Cycling or rollerblading
- Swimming laps
- Kayaking or canoeing
- Dancing challenges
- Reading goals
- Baking or cooking projects
- Knitting or crocheting
- Fitness challenges
- Hiking
- Photography projects
- Hosting a community event
- Creating music or art
By registering on our Wild Ride page on the secure Canada Helps platform, participants are encouraged to collect pledges from family, friends and their community members as they work towards their goal. Learn more about how to participate at our online info session on Thursday, June 4 at 1 p.m. ET.
Register for the Wild Ride info session
At its heart, the Wild Ride is about so much more than fundraising. It’s about people coming together to support a hospital that is providing care in incredibly difficult circumstances. Funds raised through supporters will help keep operating rooms functioning during power outages, reduce dependence on costly diesel generators, and most importantly, provide stability to a community that has felt unstable for years.
When the world is hurting it can be hard to know how to make a difference. But every act of compassion can bring hope. Join us this year in discovering Watt’s Possible by being a part of the Wild Ride.
Saint Bede’s, Nolan’s Corners — Lanark Deanery