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About 20 bikers divided into three teams from Waterloo Mennonite Brethren Church (WMB) raised $20,000 for Ride for Refugees in 2007.
Paul Atkinson (63) completed the 50 km route because he feels compelled to get involved with refugees.
"If you're a Christian, you cannot not care about refugees, orphans and widows," he said. "There's no ambiguity around The Call. We are to reach out and help. No one person can solve the problem but collectively we can make a difference in the lives of many people."
Of the $20,000 raised, $10,000 came back to WMB through the RIDE Partner Grant Program. Each team used their portion of the money in different ways. Atkinson's team took $1000 to the Kiziba Refugee Camp in Rwanda in January 2008. The money was used for a two-day pastor training seminar and for a women's ministry there. The remaining $2,800 will be covering expenses for the youth team that is going to Rwanda in the summer of 2008.
A second team, the "Rocks the RIDE" team, donated their portion of the money to the Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support.
Money from the "John Street Riders" team was used to fund a youth ministry team that served street people and refugees in Montreal.
"I believe the quality of our world is measured by the way we treat each other," Atkinson said. "I think we need to be helping people without expecting anything in return. The world is a better place as a result."
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