www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, May 28, 2010 · 14 Cyclist develops a campaign By Jill Kwasniak SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER European Engineering Combined With Traditional Workmanship "Building on the Brightest Ideas Around Glass" 905.849.0266 Get Ready For The Summer! · barbecues · pool heaters · gas stoves · gas ranges We install gas lines for . . . Oakville resident Paul Castonguay wanted to put his love of cycling to good use. That's when he decided to create The Parkinson's Peloton, a cyclist campaign with a goal to raise awareness about Parkinson's disease and raise funds for Parkinson's research. "I've been a road cyclist for over 10 years," said Castonguay, founder of The Parkinson's Peloton. "I've done fundraising events with Lance Armstrong for cancer and there wasn't really anything set up for Parkinson's in cycling so I just called the Michael J. Fox Foundation and said, `This is the idea I have. What do you think of it?' and they supported it." There are currently 12 riders committed to the campaign, each with different reasons for joining. "We're all riders, so we just wanted to do something that was a little bit more purposeful with each peddle stroke and see if we could make a difference for those suffering from Parkinson's," Castonguay said. "For me it's personal because my father is right now suffering from the disease." The Parkinson's Peloton's fundraising goal for this year is $50,000. "Personally, I would like us to raise $100,000, but again, it's our first year," Castonguay said. "I've done a lot of these fundraisers. Sometimes, you need to get the snowball going so hopefully over the course of Paul Castonguay the year it will start picking up momentum." The group has already raised $6,000 in its first week. Castonguay said the proceeds are split evenly between the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Krembil Neuroscience Centre. The Parkinson's Peloton competes in cycling events across the country. "We are doing numerous amounts of events like races," Castonguay said. "Whenever there's a race in Ontario or across the country, myself or one of my riders is participating in those." Castonguay said becoming a rider is simple. "You don't have to be a racer," he said. "You just have to be somebody that rides a bike. I'll provide them with our team kit, which is a jersey, shorts and a vest." Castonguay said that riders could be from anywhere in Canada. "We have eight riders that have signed up to our website that are just starting to fundraise," he said. "They're right across Canada from Halifax to Vancouver." In past years, Castonguay participated in the Parkinson's Super Walk but felt that creating a cycling event could be beneficial. "This is more personal for me because I'm a cyclist," he said. "I'm creating something that I like doing and I can campaign the whole year as opposed to just one event." Since 1959 "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE 905-337-2066 w w w. c o b b l e s t o n e m b e r s . c a Design, Staging & Construction Toys R Us Trade-in For the first time ever, Toys R Us Canada has announced a national program aimed at removing used and potentially unsafe baby products from Canadian homes. The Great Trade-In begins on Friday, May 28 and continues through Friday, June 11 at all Toys R Us and Babies R Us retail locations across Canada. All stores will accept any used crib, car seat, stroller or travel system in exchange for 20 per cent savings on the purchase of a new crib, stroller, car seat or travel system from select manufacturers. Participating manufacturers include Babi Italia, Baby Trend, Bily, Britax, Chanderic, Chicco, Combi, Cosco, Delta, Eddie Bauer, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Quinny, Safety 1st and Safety 1st LUX. Toys R Us will ensure that the turned-in products are destroyed and disposed of responsibly. * FREE DAILY SERVICE Morning and afternoon departures to Fallsview Casino *After $10 Casino Rebate Government Photo ID required Morning & Afternoon From Hopedale Mall WEDNESDAY & SATURDAY EVERY From Carpool Lot Guelph Line, North Service Rd EVERY SUN, TUES, THURS, FRI & SAT Minimum 5- hour stay required. Valid government-issued photo identification and Players Advantage Club Card required to redeem offers. Offers subject to change without notice. Offers cannot be combined/substituted. Must be 19 years of age or older to board coaches for casino. Void where prohibited. 1 -800-8381789 T.I.C.O. #50007535 OMCA Member FOR RESERV ATIONS CALL www.casinocoach.ca · www.frontlinetours.ca 168 CLARENCE ST., PORT COLBORNE, L3K 3G5 Home Accent Pieces 905-639-7106 www.plumbingmart.ca 3235 Fairview St.