‘Heroes on Bikes’ giveaway honours children’s kindness and impact

At the annual Heroes and Bikes giveaway, Sun Youth honours children's acts of kindness and generosity. (Anastasia Dextrene/CTV News)

It was a morning of celebration at the Sun Youth organization’s “Heroes on Bikes” giveaway, but behind the balloons and bikes, the focus was on something deeper.

The event, held at Michel-Normandin Arena, honoured 80 children for their kindness and positive impact on the community.

“I believe that, if you are a child and you want to help the community, just go and do what you can,” 13-year-old Luke Gonzalez says.

Gonzalez says he went door to door and recycled cans to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation. He raised more than $2,000 and helped his school beat its fundraising goal.

“My grandmother passed away from cancer, so I wanted to help in a way that I could,” Gonzalez explains.

According to Gonzalez’s mother, Emma-Leigh Annett, “he raised the most amount of money out of the 1,000 kids at his school, [despite] being one of the youngest.”

The Sun Youth event has honoured good deeds among those aged five to 17 for 42 years. With each name called comes a brand new bike - and another inspiring story.

When Daiana Esfandiari heard that a nearby child was being harmed, she immediately called the police.

“A boy was bullying the, the girl that had cancer. [...] I wish that the whole entire world has peace,” she says.

A part of promoting peace can be as simple as showing up. That’s why nine-year-old Arélie Letourneau was honoured with a bicycle too.

“At Christmas, I made cards and gifts for seniors,” Letourneau told CTV News.

“She had the idea because her mom works in a veterans hospital,” teacher Marisol Tremblay explains.

Tremblay nominated Letourneau after seeing how she got her classmates involved.

“She went on her own during her Christmas vacation to distribute each and every gift, and she brought back to the kids in the class some pictures to show them how important it is to give to others,” the instructor says.

Tremblay adds that there are many young people doing great things, so they deserve the recognition.