A Shuswap woman will be raising money and awareness as she cycles through France in support of fellow veterans.
Angela Ayre, a Blind Bay resident, is set to travel overseas in June next year to participate in the Battlefield Bike Ride, a fundraiser for veterans鈥� support services.
While searching for veterans鈥� family resources, Ayre became interested in the Wounded Warriors program as she was transitioning out of the military, a process she said she struggled with. The national mental health services provider鈥檚 motto is to help veterans and first responders feel safe, supported and understood 鈥� a message Ayre resonates with.
Ayre鈥檚 military story began in 2001, when she joined right out of high school. She was a medic for nearly half her career then switched to an administrative role, 鈥渨earing a lot of hats鈥� within the organization. Serving for a total of 14 years, her journey ended due to being medically relieved, which she said was not something she was anticipating.
鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 be a lifer, retire from it much older and be in it forever,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 not my story.鈥�
She speaks of having difficulty coming to terms with finding her identity without a military uniform, and finding something else she could be passionate about doing long-term.
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Wounded Warriors helps veterans take their specific training and redirect it to pathways outside of the military, sometimes finding schooling and certificates that need to be completed again or differently to get to a certain position, and organizing trained service dogs to help with post-traumatic stress disorder. The whole thing can be a challenge and Ayre commends the program for helping people along that process and showing them they aren鈥檛 alone.
The help is of no cost to veterans, and fundraisers like the Battlefield Bike Ride are an important part of that.
After hearing about the bike event from her friend, Lauralee Mills, who asked her to participate many times, Ayre finally decided it was time. Although she鈥檚 never ridden a bike that far, and is in fact new to road biking and this type of training, Ayre said she is excited to raise money, help families get the help they need and do something athletic to keep up her own motivation and mental and physical health.
鈥淭his is 100 per cent brand new, but I鈥檓 going all in,鈥� laughed Ayre.
January is when she will begin focused training, but between now and then, keeping her cardio and athleticism up is a priority. Ayre said she will enjoy snowboarding, playing soccer and keeping generally active.
The route is unconfirmed so far, but it takes riders nearly 100 kilometres a day for five days, about five to six hours of biking a day, said Ayre. The ride also stops and visits different places where battles were fought in war and sites of historical significance, allowing participants to learn and experience that history firsthand.
There are 100 spots open in the ride, and each entrant commits to raising $5,000 before May 9, 2024 to qualify. Ayre has teamed up with Mills so their entry fee is now $10,000, but their combined efforts count toward their shared goal and they want to raise as much as possible.
As a personal mini milestone, Ayre has pledged to shave one side of her head if her fundraiser hits $2,803 (a $2,000 jump she decided on since her original Facebook post) and as of Oct. 19, she is at $2,444.
She has been a mobile hair and makeup artist since coming out of the military, combining her passions for beauty and for giving back as well as honouring friends she鈥檚 lost to cancer.
Ayre鈥檚 story and a link to donate can be found at the Battlefield Bike Ride鈥檚 website, by clicking donate then entering Angela Ayre鈥檚 name.
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