Cross Country Cycling Team Supporting Critical Perinatal Surgical Equipment at NRGH

NANAIMO, BC – Canada Cycles for Kids will make its first-ever stop in Nanaimo and on Vancouver Island this Friday, arriving at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) as part of its 2026 fundraising cycling tour. The team is partnering with Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation (NDHF) to support children and families receiving care at NRGH.

Founded in 2002, Canada Cycles for Kids organizes fundraising bicycle tours in support of children across Canada. The group has completed 20 tours, cycled more than 26,000 kilometers and raised over $4 million for hospitals and organizations serving children. Friday marks the group’s first visit to Vancouver Island.

Canada Cycles for Kids has committed to funding two essential pieces of equipment for the Perinatal Unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. Their generous gift will provide a dedicated Perinatal operating room cautery machine, valued at $28,744.80, and a new fetal monitor, valued at $24,500.

The cautery machine is critical surgical equipment used during emergency Caesarean sections. Currently, the Perinatal Unit must borrow this equipment from the General Operating Room when it is needed, creating the potential for delays during time-sensitive emergencies. Having a dedicated unit within the Perinatal Operating Room will help ensure surgical teams have immediate access when every second counts.

The fetal monitor will complete the Foundation’s fundraising campaign to replace 20 fetal monitors in the Perinatal Unit. These monitors are essential for continuously assessing fetal well-being during labour, particularly in high-risk pregnancies. Replacing the current 18-year-old systems will eliminate gaps in monitoring caused by equipment failures, provide physicians, midwives, and off-site specialists with real-time remote access to patient data, and support faster clinical decision-making, including consultations for transfers to higher levels of care when necessary.

More than 1,250 babies are born at NRGH each year. As the only hospital in the region offering comprehensive maternity, neonatal intensive care and pediatric inpatient services, NRGH supports families from across Central and Northern Vancouver Island.

“We are honoured to welcome Canada Cycles for Kids to the Island for the first time,” said Barney Ellis-Perry, CEO of Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation. “Their generosity will put critical equipment directly into the Perinatal operating room, helping our care teams respond quickly when mothers and babies need emergency surgical care maybe add something about the fetal monitors.”

In addition to supporting the Perinatal department at NRGH, Canada Cycles for Kids will also be supporting Vancouver Island Make a Wish families, and Victoria General Hospital Foundation with generous donations to further support Vancouver Island kids.

About Canada Cycles for Kids

Canada Cycles for Kids was founded in 2002 by Marc Balevi and Robert Fetherstonhaugh and is devoted to helping children across Canada. Capitalizing on their passion for bicycling, Canada Cycles for Kids organizes fund raising bicycle tours.

Since its inception CCFK has organized and completed twenty fund raising bicycle tours covering every Canadian province, many twice, and over 26,000 kilometers cycled. This has been for the benefit of organizations that help children across Canada. To date over $4,000,000 has been raised and provided to several organizations including the Children Wish Foundation of Canada, Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation in Newfoundland, the Yukon Hospital Foundation, the IWK Health Centre in Nova Scotia, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Prince Edward Island, the Hawkesbury General Hospital, the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation in Saskatoon, The Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba in Winnipeg, and the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation in Yellowknife.

Learn more: nanaimohospitalfoundation.com | canadacyclesforkids.com