For nearly four decades, Silver and Gary Peltier have watched a small fundraising idea grow into one of the Interlake’s most enduring charitable events.
The first 200 participants to register for the Camino portion of the 2026 Ride for a Child’s Wish will receive a hand made seashell bracelet
Thirty-eight years ago, the Woodlands couple launched the first Ride for a Child’s Wish, attracting 12 horseback riders and about 25 people for supper while raising $750 for children facing high-risk or life-threatening illnesses.
“It is beyond our imagination that it has gone on this long, and that it is something that is totally volunteer run and is still going on after 38 years (minus two for COVID),” Silver Peltier said.
Since its humble beginnings, the Ride for a Child’s Wish has evolved into a major annual fundraiser supporting Make-A-Wish Canada. A motorcycle ride was added in 2013 and, this year, participants will have another way to get involved.
On Aug. 22, the event will introduce the inaugural Wish Ride Camino, a bike, hike and run component designed to welcome even more people to the fundraiser.
The Peltiers believe the addition will help attract families and others who may not own a horse or motorcycle.
“We think that it will raise more awareness that you don’t need a horse or a motorcycle to come enjoy the day that includes all kinds of kids entertainment, a huge Wish Auction, a great dinner, music and dancing,” said Silver Peltier.
“It’s amazing how it has continued and evolved because of all the fantastic and sometimes three-generational volunteers over the years making this all happen. Also meeting many Wish families and getting to help with some of the wishes for the kids has been an extra highlight to our life.”
“It makes us want to keep on going, getting more generations coming to the Wish Ride.”
The idea for the Wish Ride Camino came from Warren resident Kelly Eyford, who retired in 2019 and recently stepped away from her role as one of the guardians of the Warren Memorial Hall after 30 years.
With more time available, Eyford wanted to support a cause benefiting children.
“Any effort that is able to help brighten a day in the life of a child who finds themselves in dire circumstances is a good cause,” she said.
Eyford said several factors inspired her proposal.
“I wanted to contribute to something locally. Silver is a friend of mine, so I was aware of the Peltiers’ amazing fundraising work for the Children’s Wish Foundation, and my husband Garry and I have become avid cyclists since retiring.”
Until now, the fundraiser centred around horseback and motorcycle rides. Eyford felt there was room for another option.
“It occurred to me that maybe there are people who would like to participate in the ride who don’t have either a horse or motorcycle, so I proposed the idea to Silver and she thought it sounded promising and invited me to give it a go,” she said.
The concept draws inspiration from the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain, which Eyford and her husband completed by bicycle three years ago.
“The Camino is a pilgrimage from a chosen location, usually in Europe, to Santiago de Compostela,” she said. “Along the way, modern-day pilgrims collect stamps in a passport book as proof they have made the journey. So it occurred to me that maybe we could fashion an experience based loosely on that pilgrimage.”
Participants in the Wish Ride Camino will receive a passport booklet that will be stamped after each completed lap.
Two routes will be available in and around Warren. Walkers, runners, wheelchair users and scooter participants can travel a paved 1.7-kilometre route through town, while cyclists can complete a 4.6-kilometre route featuring both paved and gravel surfaces.
Participants can complete as many as six laps. Those who complete all six will travel 10.2 kilometres on foot or 27.6 kilometres by bicycle.
“Participants can run, walk or ride as many laps as they wish, so that people of every age and physical ability can be involved,” Eyford said.
The minimum registration donation is $20 for adults and $10 for children. Participants can also collect pledges from family and friends. Tax receipts are available upon request for donations of $20 or more.
The Wish Ride Camino begins at 1 p.m. at Warren Memorial Park and wraps up at approximately 3:30 p.m., allowing participants time to travel to the Peltier farm for the remainder of the day’s festivities.
The Camino de Santiago is symbolized by a seashell, which guides pilgrims along the route. To honour that tradition, the first 200 participants who register before Aug. 22 will receive a commemorative shell bracelet. The shells were collected by the Eyfords during a trip to New Zealand earlier this year.
Eyford hopes the new addition will broaden participation while maintaining the spirit of the longstanding fundraiser.
“Creating a new avenue for participation doesn’t take anything away from the current longstanding rides, but only adds to the number of people who are able to participate,” she said. “I am hopeful that young people and families will embrace the opportunity as a way that they can contribute to the success of the event while spending some quality time exercising in the fresh air.”
She also hopes participants return year after year to challenge themselves by increasing their distance or improving their time.
The Peltiers and Eyfords are encouraging as many people as possible to take part.
“The goal is for people to have a positive, fun experience,” Eyford said. “Like we did on our Camino in Spain.”
The Ride for a Child’s Wish has grown far beyond its original format. Today, the event features a live band, a full-course meal, children’s activities and a large silent auction.
Dinner includes chicken or pork, baked beans, coleslaw, buns, corn on the cob and ice cream for dessert.
Funds are raised through rider pledges, community fundraising efforts, donations from businesses and organizations throughout the Interlake, silent auction proceeds and supper ticket sales.
Despite its growth, the event remains rooted in the same mission that inspired the Peltiers nearly four decades ago — helping create special memories for children facing serious illnesses while bringing communities together in support of a worthy cause.
