Scotiabank Cycling Through Its Annual Ride-A-Thon to Raise Money For Diabetes Research

Scotiabank is biking its way to helping type-1 diabetes research get one step closer to a cure with their annual Ride-A-Thon inside their Hunter Street branch on Friday.

Youth ambassador and TASSS student Tilly Stimpson, 15, leads off on the bike as one of 16 cyclists participating in the ride-a-thon. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Sixteen cyclists hopped on an exercise bike in 30-minute intervals throughout the day during the SunLife Ride to Defeat Diabetes event. The branch collected donations to help fund the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

The goal is $2,500 and Scotiabank will match the amount raised at the end of the day. The branch has participated in this event annually for roughly the last 10 years, said John D’Altoe, Scotiabank branch manager.

“There are a lot of employees that are impacted by type-1 diabetes and we wanted to make sure that we're showing our support,” he said.

Branch teller Donna Giles was the third person to ride the bike and the first of the Scotiabank employees. She says this event means a lot since her family has been heavily affected by diabetes.

“My son was diagnosed at the age of 11 and I just became type-1 as well in April so it's close to my heart,” explained Giles.

Scotiabank is the leading organization to raise money for JDRF at $296,640, with the National Bank of Canada as the next-best with $183,050.

“Knowing the people who are impacted is an important part of it and it's one of those silent diseases that a lot of people don't know a lot about so again, if we can do our part, we will,” said D’Altoe.

Donations can be made at the branch or online. $1,100 of the $2,500 goal was raised during this article’s publication.

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