Shown above at the starting line of the rodeo circuit is coordinator, Richard Legault. 

The Bike Rodeo began in the early 1990's but was discontinued when it was apparent that many other rodeos were being organized. Once they stopped, everyone else stopped too, so it was decided to pick it back up again in 2003. 

"In 2003 we decided to do this again for the kids in the neighbourhood. The main purpose of the Rodeo is to check the Bikes for the kids and give them a report that they can bring to the parent if something is wrong with the Bike. When we have enough Volunteers we will actually do small repairs tighten chains, adjust air pressure in the tire etc.," explained Coordinator, Richard Legault. "The other reason is to put them trough a road test as a refresher coarse for what hand signal they should be using, what side of the roar they should be riding on and to obey the traffic signs."

Legault went on to explain, "Next year we would like to make this event a little bigger and more interesting. This year we only had 40 some participants."

The group had a total of 4 Bikes that as prizes, 7 Helmets, plus Bicycle pumps, Mirrors, and Locks.

Every Participant received a T Shirt with Rodeo Vélo on it.

The Sponsors of the Event were Neil's Independent, and Hanmer Home Hardware.

Every Child under the age of 18 received a free Lunch courtesy of the Club Optimiste  Vallée Est. 

At a media conference held on February 1, 2007 at the HRSRH St. Joseph’s Health Centre, a cheque for $15,889.40 was presented to the Sudbury Regional Hospital Foundation from the Optimist Club of Valley East.  The donation was used to purchase a new CPAP unit for the HRSRH’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The NICU utilizes several CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) units to assist newborns who are unable to breathe adequately on their own.  CPAP is often used to prevent premature infants from succumbing to respiratory failure and can prevent the need for intubation.  CPAP delivers oxygen (or air) under a small amount of pressure to the baby, usually through small tubes fit into the nostrils.  The pressurized air helps keep air sacs in the baby’s lungs open.

Past-President of the Optimist Club of Valley East, Richard Legault explained that most activities the Optimists are involved in are for the benefit of children. Beaudry went on to state that “The Optimist Club of Valley East is very grateful for the opportunity to help babies in our community.  On behalf of the entire club, I would like to say it has been our pleasure assisting the NICU and we look forward to helping out again in the future.”

“The Foundation is proud to work with groups in our community for the betterment of healthcare in Northeastern Ontario. ” stated Jim Corless, Vice Chairman, “The Foundation is especially proud when we have the opportunity to help meet the healthcare needs of children in the Sudbury area.” stressed Corless.

Joe Pilon, HRSRH Senior Vice President, was on hand to accept the donation on behalf of the NICU.  “I would like to thank the Optimists for their dedication to the children of our community and for this gift to the HRSRH’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.”

CLUB OPTIMISTE DE VALLÉE EST INC.

On June 9, 1919 eleven clubs met in Louisville , Kentucky and adopted the name International Optimist Club.  Five years later, the first Canadian Optimist Club was formed in Toronto , Ontario .  Currently there are 105,000 individual members who make up over 35,000 autonomous clubs in 53 districts spread across the globe.  Collectively, Optimists serve over 6 million children per year, including 1.5 million children in Canada .

Optimist International’s mission statement is that “By providing hope and positive vision, Optimists bring out the best in kids.”  Programs run by Optimist clubs include: Childhood Cancer Campaign, the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships, and International Scholarships (Communication Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Essay Contest, Oratorical Contest.

Each member club is autonomous, run by members in their community and is flexible to serve youth in their area in anyway they feel fit.  Each member club also elects their own officials and raise their own funds.  The Valley East Optimist Club was charted on August 22, 1990 and currently has 17 members who volunteer their time helping children in our community.  Some of the activities the Valley East Optimists organize include a bike rodeo which provides children a chance to have a safety check on their bikes and the Santa Claus Breakfast which provides breakfast, a meeting with Santa, and a loot bag for children in 6 Valley East elementary schools.  The Valley East Optimists also host a golf tournament for children in the community and the winners of the tournament get to participate in the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships. 

The Valley East Optimist Club meets every third Monday at the Centennial Arena in Hanmer.  The club currently has 17 members and 6 additional individuals who will become full-members this year.  The club continues to grow each year and is always accepting new members.

SUDBURY REGIONAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

The Sudbury Regional Hospital Foundation has raised funds for local healthcare initiatives for three decades. Governed by a Board of Directors made up of a cross-section of our community, the Sudbury Regional Hospital Foundation is the fundraising partner of the HRSRH.  A separate entity from the Hospital, the Sudbury Regional Hospital Foundation’s mandate is to operate exclusively as a non-profit, charitable foundation to raise funds for medical equipment and capital construction.

Hôpital regional de Sudbury Regional Hospital is the regional referral centre for hospital-based patient care for people throughout northeastern Ontario .  The HRSRH is not program-specific but rather a full service facility with primary, secondary and tertiary care levels for the over 600,000 people in the North.  The HRSRH has recently integrated the former Northeastern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre within its structure as a part of the Regional Cancer Program.  The HRSRH is also renowned as the site for both the first beating-heart surgery to be performed in Canada as well as the first hospital to successfully use stem cell transplantation to fight cancer.

On March 28, 2000, the Sudbury Regional Hospital Foundation signed an historic partnership agreement with the Northern Cancer Research Foundation, the St. Joseph 's Foundation of Sudbury, the Hôpital régional de Sudbury Regional Hospital , the Northeastern Ontario Regional Cancer Centre and the St. Joseph 's Health Centre. Together, these three Foundations and three health care institutions formed the Heart & Soul Campaign - the most ambitious fundraising partnership in the history of Sudbury . The Heart & Soul Campaign ended in April 2003, two years ahead of schedule. Over $50 million was raised in this Campaign, making it the largest and most successful fundraising campaign ever in Northern Ontario . 

Since its amalgamation on June 22, 1998, the Sudbury Regional Hospital Foundation has disbursed nearly $17.9 million towards HRSRH equipment and capital funding needs.  These disbursements include millions towards important medical equipment such as dialysis chairs, blood pressure monitors, beds and stretchers, and an ECG.  The Foundation has helped and will continue to help all departments and areas of the HRSRH with their equipment and capital needs.

Your continued support to the Sudbury Regional Hospital Foundation will ensure that we can continue to fulfill our vision “to ensure superior health services in northeastern Ontario .”

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