The 10 km flotilla down the Ottawa River from Portage du Fort to Sand Bay is a summer favourite for a little group who make it an annual event. It just so happens that three of the paddlers, Archdeacon Kathryn Otley, Jim Davison and Canon Sue Garvey, are members of the Diocese’s Homelessness and Affordable Housing Working Group.
So it was natural that our paddle would also become a way to raise some money for a Diocesan affordable housing initiative. We gave ourselves the team name“Spirit of the Zibi” to honor the Algonquin name of the Ottawa River, and set ourselves a goal to raise $2,000 toward the Christ Church Bells Corners affordable housing project.
The Quebec COVID restrictions determined the numbers of people participating this year, but we had lots of support from friends and family members who sponsored our paddle and contributed generously to the CCBC housing project. We were joined by friends in kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and a couple of cyclists who checked out a pretty Pontiac bike ride while the rest of us paddled. A celebratory BBQ and impromptu jazz performance was a perfect end to a perfect summer day. To top it all off, we surpassed our fundraising target!
So our challenge to anyone who has something they love to do: get some friends together and make it an opportunity to have fun and make the world a better place for some people who need a good home.
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.”