A fellow Canadian is dedicating his time to raising money for children in need. Ilan Levy is cycling across Canada to raise awareness and funds for Cycle 4 SchoolBOX, an organization that builds classrooms and donates school supplies for children in poorer countries.
SchoolBOX is an organization that was created by Tom Affleck after he took a trip to Central America.
After Affleck gave a young girl a pencil and notebook, her father told her that because she now had some supplies, she could attend school.
Affleck became inspired and created SchoolBOX which has now helped thousands of children receive an education.
“ I have always wanted to ride across Canada for the experience and the challenge,” Levy explained, “so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to combine the ride and fundraising for SchoolBOX.”
Levy said that his friends have been supporting SchoolBOX for several years.
“They had a fundraiser at their place over a year ago, which was when we first met Tom Affleck, President of SchoolBOX, and made our first contribution.”
Levy said that he and his wife both believe in children receiving an education. “We created the Oriole Scholarship Foundation which gives scholarships to deserving Canadians that couldn’t otherwise afford to go to university.”
Levy began bike riding at the age of six and has not stopped for 52 years. Although he has done a few 1000km rides, he explained that this ride has been the most challenging. The challenge is not holding Levy back though; he said that SchoolBOX inspires him everyday. “I’m inspired by the sense of purpose and the passion that all SchoolBOC staff and volunteers show in everything they do. I’m inspired by the potential for the poor yet very bright minds in Nicaragua to be helped out of poverty.”
For more information or to donate, visit www.schoolbox.ca
