Pedal 4 Drowning Prevention

What started out as a crazy idea to bike across the country was just that, an idea.  We both worked and Derek was training and going to school full-time. How could we take off for 2 months to bike over 6000km across the country? Weeks passed and we could not stop thinking about how awesome it would feel to accomplish such a feat. When we first started planning our trip, the YMCA/YWCA of Guelph, Ontario was using the University of Guelph pools to host their SHARK program which incorporates the Lifesaving Society's Swim to Survive training.  I have worked with them for the previous two years and was shocked to find out that the program cost is 30$ per student and offered at no cost to everyone that goes through this training. In Guelph alone, there are over 3,000 kids who benefit from this program. All the money raised comes from grants, community fundraising events and private donors.  As lifeguards, we see the importance of learning to swim and if we could use our trip to raise money for such a great program, what could be better?