Local nonagenarian raises thousands cycling for SickKids Foundation

BY DENNY SCOTT

Ninety-six-year-old Charlie Procter of Morris-Turnberry has put over 400 kilometres on his stationary bike in the last month and has raised over $1,300 to fight childhood cancer through the Great Cycle Challenge.

The event, which ran for the month of August, raises money to fight cancer in children, hoping to curtail the number of children who face cancer every year, which Procter said is an important. goal.

The program is run by the SickKids Foundation, which is part of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.

“It’s a great program to be a part of,” Procter said. “It’s an important goal.”

Procter said his nieces, Kate Procter and Jennifer Cooper, encouraged his involvement, since he spends time on his stationary bike every day anyway. He’s put over 6,000 kilometres on the exercise machine since it was new a couple years ago.

Procter started out with daily 10-kilometre rides earlier in the month but, by Aug. 21, he was up to 20 kilometres or more a day, eventually hitting his month-long high of 22.7 kilometres on Aug. 28.

He’s part of the Procter’s Rockets team, which includes his nieces and four other members: Arnie Spivey, George Procter, Anne Procter and Helen Otterman.

“They started organizing the group and asked me to be a part of it,” he said.

The team has ridden 1,957.5 kilometres together and raised $10,139.42, placing the team 37th in the national standings and eighth in the family category.

Kate told The Citizen that Procter is a huge part of the team, serving as a great inspiration.

For more information, visit greatcyclechallenge.ca.