How does it work?

1. Sign up! – sign up using THIS FORM. You can sign up multiple children using the same form. In the form you’ll be asked to select Avatar names that your child prefers most (up to 3 per child).

2. Wait for your Avatar! – the organizers will send you an Avatar name for each of your children. The Avatar will be your child’s alias for the event and is what we will use to track their progress throughout the event. We will only identify them by Division and Avatar, nothing else. All Avatars within a Division will be unique names, but it’s possible to have same-name Avatars across different Divisions.

3. Get Sponsored! – Kids, ask your parents, family, friends, and local businesses to SPONSOR you for every day that you ROLL to school! It can be $1, $2, or $20 (whoa that’s a lot!) for each day that you choose to come to school on your bike, scooter, skateboard, or rollerblades! The form will be sent to you with the Avatar confirmation above. Please forward that e-mail to anyone that is going to be sponsoring you and ask them to copy/paste your Division-Avatar so we know who they are sponsoring! Unfortunately tax receipts will not be issued for this fundraiser but we will let all the Sponsors know that 100% of the proceeds will benefit the students of Emily Carr!

4. Roll to School! – from Wednesday, Sep 18th to Friday, Oct 25th, do your best to ROLL TO SCHOOL! We may see some cold or rainy days, which may be a deterrent. It’s ok to skip a day here and there, but hopefully we can roll as many as possible! Let’s do our best but also keep it safe (more on Safety below)!

5. Keep Track! – keep track of all the days that you rolled to school.

6. Send us your days! – send the total number of days that you rolled to school to EmilyCarrWalkBikeRoll@gmail.com

7. We’ll collect the Pledges! – we will reach out to your sponsors and let them know how AWESOME you did and give them instructions on how to send their donations.

Why are we doing this?

Emily Carr is so fortunate to be located in a central and accessible location. Families have so many sustainable commuting choices like walking, biking, and city transit. Last school year, in May and June 2024, we saw an overwhelming number of families ride their bikes to school, which was truly an impressive sight! However, the two existing bike racks were not enough to accommodate so many bikes. The PAC worked with the City of Vancouver to arrange temporary racks that could accommodate up to 60 additional bikes. And boy, was that fantastic! Since then, the PAC realized there is an opportunity to improve the bike parking infrastructure permanently, and so we are looking to raise funds which can be used toward that initiative.

What happens after the Roll-A-thon?

All funds will be collected by PAC. The PAC will then inform VSB that we have funds set aside to support the improvement of Emily Carr’s bike infrastructure. In the event that the VSB does not accept these funds, the PAC will retain the funds and use it for Emily Carr PAC initiatives.

Let’s keep it SAFE! It’s up to us!

While rolling is a great active and environmentally friendly way to commute, it poses significant safety risks and your safety is far more important than this Roll-A-thon. Here are some key elements to consider:

1. 1. 1. Protect our bodies - use protective equipment, helmets at minimum! But also consider wrist, elbow, and knee guards for those on skateboards, scooters, and rollerblades.

      2. This is something new- most of us may be more used to walking and so everything about biking, skateboarding, scootering or rollerblading is different than our typical routine. So risks come with rolling and so we must only do what we are capable of doing, otherwise ask your parent for help or walk through sections you are not comfortable with. 

      3. The environment may be risky - the road may be wet, there may be leaves on the ground, a small puddle may be hiding a deep pothole…all these pose significant dangers to us. We must scan ahead and be prepared to safely navigate any risk we come across.

      4. Other moving vehicles, cyclists, and scooters all pose dangers - if on the street, we are sharing the road with other users and so here are some tips to keep yourself safe:

         1. FOLLOW ROAD RULES, BUT DON’T ASSUME OTHERS WILL - while there are road signs and rules, and you will do your part to follow them, it’s best to assume they are not going to be followed by others.

         2. TAKE ACTION AND BE SEEN! If you can, travel in large groups so you are more visible. If you see a car, make sure they’ve seen you - maybe give them a friendly wave and say Thanks! if they’re letting you cross.

         3. TRAVEL IN A STRAIGHT LINE - when on the street, travel in a straight line, an arm’s length from the mirrors of parked cars. Resist the temptation to cut in and out gaps between parked cars.

We also encourage all parents to take HUB Cycling’s online StreetWise Cycling Course. This course is accessible anytime from any computer or device with an internet connection, and takes about 1-2 hours to complete. You will learn about:

• 1. 1. Essential and helpful cycling gear 

     2. Pre-ride ABC Quick Checks

     3. Route planning with bike maps

     4. Rights & responsibilities as a person biking

     5. Riding on the road and navigating intersections

Participants that complete the course between now and November 30th, 2024 will be entered to win a $500 gift card to a bike shop of your choosing! 

What if we can’t roll to school? What should we do?

Some families must commute by car and rolling is not an option. In these cases, we encourage you to find friends that live nearby and are rolling to school. Consider meeting up with them at their home or somewhere along their commute so your kids can roll together. If that is not an option, then consider parking 2-3 blocks away, such as Douglas Park, and then roll to school.

When do I get the Sponsors?

We encourage families to call on Sponsors from the start of the Roll-A-thon until the last day, Fri, Oct 25th! So you free to ask for pledges throughout the event - just forward them the registration e-mail that was sent to you!

I have more questions - who do I ask?

For any additional questions or comments, please contact the organizing committee at EmilyCarrWalkBikeRoll@gmail.com - Thank You!