News

Members Tim & Bob Kikkert on 5 Week Route 66 Fundraiser

Tim

Ride for Dad 2008 005

Bob

Canadian Route 66 Member Tim Kikkert will be leaving Langley, BC on May 18 to meet up with his dad (Bob from Cornwall, ON) in Chicago on May 24. They will then tour Route 66, Chicago to LA while raising awareness about prostate cancer. The trip will last  5 weeks. Tim plans to do a daily update on Facebook. You can follow Tim and Bob on Facebook at Timbob Kikkert. 

Please give Tim and Bob your support by following them (Facebook) on their adventure and if possible make a donation for the fight against prostate cancer. 

Link to Tims Fundraising site:

http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1852&AID=2585&PID=407538

Following is a letter from Tim explaining his families history with cancer.

Our story:

 In July of 2001 my dad’s (Bob Kikkert) doctor saw a jump in his PSA from 4.0 to 7.34.  He underwent a biopsy at Cornwall General Hospital where one sample showed prostate cancer.  The urologist in Cornwall, ON, where he lives, wanted to do a prostatectomy and my dad disagreed with this radical approach. So, he educated himself on this disease and sought out other treatment options.  After meeting with a radiation oncologist at the Ottawa Cancer Centre, he decided to undergo brachytherapy.  Following this procedure his oncologist noticed that some of the radioactive seeds had shifted and he additionally proposed external beam radiation treatments as a precaution.  My dad had to go back to the Cancer Centre for 21 days of radiation therapy.  During the entire process he continued to do his gym workouts and carry on as if nothing was wrong.  As a result, he did not experience any side effects during treatment or any after effects. He has remained cancer free for almost 12 years and continues to exercise regularly and has completely changed his diet to avoid foods that can potentially increase the risk for a recurrence.

 

When my dad called me to tell me his diagnosis I was initially shocked and worried. But as the news sunk in and I did some research on prostate cancer, which was harder to come by back in 2001, I started to believe that my dad could beat this. I knew he was in good health, had educated himself in treatment alternatives, had a positive attitude and had caught the cancer early (thanks to the PSA test). At the time I was married and had two wonderful daughters aged 3 and 5. What struck me in our next family visit with my parents was how “invisible” this disease was during the course of his treatment. You would not have been able to tell that there was any problem. I thought at the time that because of this it was easy to understand why this cancer was such an invisible one, even though it affects the lives of so many men each year. The only indication that he was undergoing treatment was the fact that his little grandchildren couldn’t be bounced or sit on his lap because of the radioactive nature of the seeds planted around the cancerous site for the brachytherapy treatment.

 

Cancer has been fairly prevalent in my family. My paternal grandfather died of cancer of the throat. My dad’s older brother has had prostate cancer and one of my maternal uncles had a very difficult battle with prostate cancer because it was caught late.

 

Due to his battle with this disease and through his love of motorcycles, my dad began participating in the Ottawa, ON “Ride for Dad” in 2005 and has every year since.  An interesting coincidence is that his oncologist is a motorcyclist who also participates in the Ottawa “Ride for Dad.” He has managed to raise almost $20,000 dollars over the years. I have also become involved with prostate cancer fundraising because of his battle and the impact that cancer and prostate issues in general have had on my family. I initially became involved with the “Movember” campaigns when they first started and managed to raise a combined total of almost $5,000 in the years I participated in that. In 2011, I finally bought another motorcycle, a passion I share with dad, and was informed by a family friend that there was a ride in BC called “Westcoast Motorcycle Ride to Live.” I signed up right away with my daughter and participated in that first ride with her at my side and my friends from Langley in the Vancouver ride. What amazed me was how well it was organized, how much fun I had and how many motorcyclists participated that year. I was hooked. There’s nothing like the feeling of lining up with fellow motorcyclists and parading through the streets of Vancouver to raise funds for such a worthy cause. It was encouraging to see men standing up and recognizing that this cancer needs to come out of the shadows and be recognized and discussed – something men are traditionally not very good at.

 

I am now in my fourth year participating in the “Westcoast Motorcycle Ride to Live” (www.vancouver.ridetolive.ca ) and have worked hard to raise funds each year (the ride is on May 25 this year). To date, I have managed to raise over $20,000 due to the very generous contributions from my awesome family, friends and colleagues at work. The ride isn’t until the end of May each year, but I start out with my efforts at the end of February. I imagine I’m one of the first people to sign up. Although I say I “worked hard,” I can’t really say that this is work for me. I send out emails at least every two weeks to update my donors, potential donors and supporters. It has been a lot of fun interacting with all those people each year, raising awareness about this cancer and best of all, hearing about their stories and experiences in their families with prostate and other cancers. What amazes me is just how prevalent a disease it is when you start the conversation with so many people. I don’t just send out generic emails. I tell my stories, provide pictures of rides, information on prostate cancer and where the funds go from my efforts (with “Westcoast Motorcycle Ride to Live” everything I raise goes directly to cancer research and cancer related information, which is a real motivator for my donors).

 

I like to tell everyone that we are a team. There is no way I could do this alone and we are all mutually succeeding in helping to better treat, educate and hopefully eradicate this cancer through the funds we raise. Best of all, my donors come up with clever ideas on how to spur each other on. For instance, odd dollar amounts are donated and donors are challenged to even the total out, then make it odd again, etc., which has resulted in some people donating multiple times in the same year. I also update them on other ride participant totals and that motivates us to donate more and stay in the top position. We have been the top fundraisers each year I have participated and I have been presented with numerous merchandize prizes from sponsors. I have used some of these prizes to raffle off to donors in subsequent years (to motivate) and I have sold the rest and donated the money to the cause. Everything I do is translated back into cash donations. There is no better feeling than to watch the total amount increase with each email I send out. I personally respond to each donor and thank them for their generous contribution and support. My personal fundraising site is at ($5006.00 as of April 19): http://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1852&AID=2585&PID=407538

 

For the past two years my dad and I have been planning a father-son motorcycle ride along the old Route 66, the “Mother Highway” that extends from Chicago, IL to Santa Monica, CA. We will be doing this ride, the brainchild and dream of my dad (who will be turning 70 this year), from May 18th until June 20th. He will be riding from Cornwall, ON and me from Langley, BC where we will meet in Chicago, IL and set out together. Our journey will take us through several states to California, where we will then drive back up the West Coast Highway to my home. My dad will then drive back across Canada. This will be a 12,000+ km ride. In preparation, Vancouver BMW-Ducati (http://www.vancouver-bmwducati.com) has been really supportive in helping me to ensure my motorcycle is in excellent condition to drive this kind of distance and I am confident that I will be well looked after. We have also become members of the only Canadian Route 66 Association which is actually based out of Langley and they have provided us with a wealth of information to help us with our planning. You can visit them to learn more at http://www.route66.ca/

 

Since our ride will take place in the same time of year as our prostate cancer rides, I suggested to my dad that we tie our trip to our fundraising efforts this year and he enthusiastically agreed. We have reached out to the executives of our rides and they have been amazingly supportive and will be providing us with information that we can hand out on our trip to educate more men about this disease and why we are riding. I have also established a Facebook page, “Timbob Kikkert, and we are encouraging everyone we can to friend that page and follow us on our journey. I will be sharing our experiences with stories and pictures on a daily basis. This has been of real interest to our supporters this year and we are hopeful that it not only helps to educate more people, but that we are able to raise more funds than in previous years.

 

Over the years, we have met many new friends, reunited with old and shared wonderful rides and stories with all those who have participated and supported our efforts. Combined, we have raised almost $50,000 to fight prostate cancer to be put towards excellent research and support materials for those who are unfortunate enough to discover they have this awful cancer. Since this cancer is in my family, I have been getting annual prostate and PSA (prostate specific antigen – a simple blood test) check-ups to monitor for any signs of prostate cancer. This regimen usually isn’t recommended until age 50 for the average male with no family history or those not in a risky demographic. Ironically, my doctor told me in my last check-up that he felt a nodule on my prostate. We’ll be monitoring it closely for now, but will I be having to leverage the very services I’ve been supporting? Regardless, I feel confident I could beat it because of the awareness and progress we’ve made with this particular cancer. My attitude is a direct reflection of why it is so important to continue doing what we do each year. My dad said that what we are about to do proves that once you beat this disease anything is possible!

Tim 


Garage Tour - April 12, 2014

Route 66 Club Garage Tour 022

George’s 1970 Camaro

Please go the Photos section to see pictures from our April 2014 Garage Tour. 

Photos by George Game and John Sulentich. 

About 35 members and guests participated in this event, followed by a great lunch at a nearbye restaurant.

Members Tim & Bob Kikkert - Ride for Cancer - May 25, 2014

Dear Friends, Family and Colleagues,

 It's that time of year again and I'm attempting once again to raise as much money as possible for research to help find a cure and fight prostate cancer. This is my fourth year participating in this event. Of note, Amy won't be participating this year as she is working now and in university, and I will be on a special ride. The ride is May 25th this year.

SPECIAL RIDE THIS YEAR: My dad also signs up for a ride like this in Ontario each year and we raise money together and cheer each other on. This year, we are meeting in Chicago, on our bikes, in the third week of May. We will then set off on a 5 week journey on the old US Route 66 and dedicate our ride to raising money for prostate cancer. We leave Chicago and make our way all the way to Santa Monica, CA., and will then ride up the west coast to Vancouver. My dad will then ride across Canada. I will be setting up a Facebook page, details in the first update coming soon, and will invite you to join my page so you can follow along with us for the whole journey – I will be updating daily (when I have WiFi access) with stories and pictures – stay tuned!

I simply ride - all of you are the critical part of this event and it wouldn't be successful without you. Amy and I have raised the astonishing amount of over$17,000 in the last three years because of your support and generosity. We’ve been the top fundraisers for the last three years! I’m aiming at $3000 initially – but I want to raise as much as possible with this special trip.

As you may or may not know, my dad and other members of my family have been victims of prostate cancer. My dad is an 11 year survivor now and continues to do well and keep the cancer away. This is mainly due to the excellent progress that has been made in prostate cancer research thanks to the generous donations of friends, family and colleagues.

This year - I’ve kicked things off by donating some personal cash and will add money I raise from selling off prizes from last year’s ride again – I want everything that results from this ride to translate into funds for the research. The top fundraiser right now is at $350 – we can beat that! Any amount helps!

Help me Save BC men by fighting Prostate Cancer! I am participating in the Westcoast Motorcycle Ride To Live, to raise much needed funds for Prostate Cancer Foundation BC. Please help me reach my fundraising goals! Just click "Sponsor Me" to make a donation. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

 

By the way, I can take cash & the site takes USA credit cards (if that’s easier for you and you don’t trust web sites with credit card information) OR

 

TO SUPPORT ME (go to the link below and it will take you to a web page - on the upper right hand of the web page hit the “SPONSOR ME” button):


 CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION TO SUPPORT ME

Pledge funds raised go to prostate cancer research, awareness, education & support in British Columbia. 

The Facebook site I’ve set up is called “Timbob Kikkert”, so if you send a friend request from your Facebook account to me at that one, I’ll accept your friend request and you’ll be able to track our trip. 

Thank you in advance for your generosity! As always, I promise to keep you updated on my progress with timely & entertaining updates.

Tim Kikkert

2014 International Festival - Kingman Daily Miner

From the Kingman Daily Miner, here are links to a couple of the latest articles which announce the Kingman Area Chamber of Commerce taking over the reins of the 2014 International Route 66 Festival.

Please Contact Pam Wilkinson of the Chamber of Commerce directly with any questions. 

 http://kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=59790

 http://kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=842&ArticleID=59952

Oklahoma Newsletter - Mar 2014