Edmonton school pedals toward $100K fundraising goal for Ben Stelter Foundation

The W.P. Wagner School Wagathon on April 24, 2026. (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton)

A southeast Edmonton high school was peddling hard to reach a $100,000 fundraising goal for pediatric cancer research.

W.P. Wagner School hosted its Wagathon, a 24-hour bike-a-thon, to raise money for the Ben Stelter Foundation on Friday.

So far, the teens have managed to raise more than $96,000 for the organization, which is looking to build a proton beam therapy centre in the city in honour of the late Ben Stelter.

“It is pretty much a lot of chaos for us. We started all the way back in November, planning everything, getting schedules together, creating teams, creating committees,” said Grade 12 student Zohra Anwar.

Each team of eight to 10 people had to raise a minimum of $1,000 before being able to participate in Wagathon. Each team gets a bike and, depending on how much they surpass the minimum, a number of luxuries during the 24-hour cycle – including TVs, comfy seating and video games.

“It’s so great to see the responses and to see how passionate they were about supporting pediatric cancer and all of the places that the Ben Stelter (Foundation) uses the money for,” said student leadership department head Chantel Stefanich.

The Wagathon is part of the school’s “legacy,” she added. It’s been a school event since 2008.

Donations can still be made online to the Ben Stelter Foundation website.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sean McClune