Delta-Q In the Community
Delta-Q is a company that enjoys the Great Outdoors! Camping, picnics, hiking groups and volleyball games are just some of the social events held throughout the year. DQT also participates in charity events such as ‘The Ride to Conquer Cancer’ and the ‘The Canary Soapbox Racing Derby’.
2010 Ride to Conquer Cancer – June 19 and 20, 2010
The 2010 Ride to Conquer Cancer was an unforgettable experience. We think of it as a history-making opportunity for us to do something big about cancer, something epic. This year there were 2252 cyclists riding their bikes through the scenic Pacific Northwest in two days, from Surrey, BC to Redmond, WA.
Delta-Q registered a team of 6 employees in the ride and with the support of our donors, we raised $16,705. In total over 9.2 million dollars was raised for cancer research. Fantastic! Next year our goal is to have 20+ riders from Delta-Q on team “Delta-Q Chargers“.
From left to right: Rob Kragelj - Director of Sales, Greg Fung - Software Engineer, Guy Pearson - V.P. Engineering, Lloyd Gomm - Director of Product Management, Ken Fielding - President & CEO, Hiroshi Hasegawa - Product Support Manager, Robyn Balez - Sales & Marketing Assistant
A lot of people have asked…”what was it like?”
The amazing thing was the sheer number of people participating…2,252 riders. Among the riders were many cancer survivors, identified with yellow flags on the back of their bikes. Other riders tacked pictures of loved ones to the back of their bike, to show their support for their battle. There were many opportunities to hear peoples’ stories and their personal or family struggles with cancer.
The ride started from the Guildford mall in Surrey, at 7 AM. The weather was beautiful, and to ride familiar streets that were blocked off just for Ride to Conquer Cancer cyclists was truly exhilarating.
Guildford Mall, Surrey, B.C. - Start Line
We crossed the US border about 90 minutes later and after riding through some scenic countryside, reached camp in Mount Vernon, Washington at about 4:00 pm. This was the end of the first leg - 139 km’s or 86 miles. Out of necessity, we consumed a huge amount of food and fluids along the way. This was easy since the organizers had designated pit stops with food and drinks about every 25 or 30 km’s. Each Pit Stop had a different theme and lots of volunteers and family members cheered the riders on.
Pit Stop 4 – Day 1 – Robyn Balez (DQT Employee) Crew Captain of Pit Stop 4, Luau Theme
At the camp there was beer, hot showers, good food and camaraderie. The camp was silent by 10:30 PM as everyone was completely spent and hit the pillow for a much needed sleep.
Hundreds of tents set up for riders and volunteers at camp in Mount Vernon
On Sunday, we woke up at 5:45 AM to get back on our bikes by 7 AM. This was tough! But the muscles started to warm up after about 5 km’s and we felt pretty good. Unfortunately it rained from about 10 AM to 1 PM, making the pit stops and lunch break a chilly affair. But, we pressed on and the weather cleared. We reached the finish line in Redmond, Washington at 3 PM. Crossing the finish line with the five other Delta-Q teammates was really great…and the cheering crowds made us feel terrific.
We were so impressed with how well organized the event was. The crew members organizing pit stops, volunteers serving food and drinks, the motorcycle escorts directing traffic at intersections, and all the little details, such as the free massages at camp, were excellent.
Team Delta-Q Chargers
Delta-Q Technologies would like to thank all our donors for their generosity. By making the decision to donate, you made it possible to generate the money and awareness to move us closer to finding a cure for cancer. For more information on the Ride to Conquer Cancer visit the website, Ride to Conquer Cancer 2010 or go to the Team DeltaQ Chargers page.