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Abbotsford cyclist to pedal for 7th time in support of African grandmothers

Jean Douglas-Webb raises money for Stephen Lewis Foundation
jean-douglas-webb
Jean Douglas-Webb of Abbotsford plans to ride 111 kilometres from Hope to Abbotsford on Sept. 8 in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, with a goal of raising $7,800.

An Abbotsford woman is participating for the seventh time in a bike ride in support of African women who are raising their grandchildren orphaned by the AIDS crisis.

For the first four years, Jean Douglas-Webb participated as part of a team of Lower Mainland cyclists in the Solidarity Cycle.

But in 2022 and 2023, she did the route alone, and is doing the same this year. She starts in Hope on Sunday, Sept. 8 – National Grandparents Day – and then travels through Agassiz, Rosedale and Chilliwack and ends at her home in west Abbotsford: a total 111 kilometres.

Her goal is to raise $7,800 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.

“Unlike a 78 r.p.m. record, I may not be going quite that fast but I will keep my 78-year-old legs at a steady rhythm to reach my goal,” she said.

Douglas-Webb is a member of the Abbotsford Gogos (which is the Zulu word for “grandmother”).

In 2010, she travelled with other Canadian grandmothers to South Africa and Eswatini (Swaziland), where a gathering was held of 500 grandmothers from 12 African countries.

It is estimated that African grandmothers are caring for more than 14 million children orphaned by AIDS. Money raised from the Solidarity Cycle goes to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which supports community-based organizations that are working to turn the tide of AIDS.

The organization provides support groups, grief counselling, access to health care, income-generating projects, help to send their grandkids to school, and more.

To donate to Douglas-Webb’s campaign, visit rb.gy/bxx7yn

Visit stephenlewisfoundation.org for more information.

 



Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
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