The bike riding event supporting youth education

Community Connection: Ride 4 Kids Ken Opaleke with West Broadway Youth Outreach gives details on Ride 4 Kids, an annual fundraiser for educational supports.

A Winnipeg organization is hosting a fundraising event this weekend to benefit educational support for the city’s children.

On Saturday, West Broadway Youth Outreach (WBYO) is holding its annual Ride 4 Kids – a bike riding event that raises funds for the WBYO’s Homework Club programming, Straight-A-Effort activities and scholarship program.

WBYO connects with kids in the inner city, giving them a safe place to hang out and make meaningful friendships while focusing on their education.

Ken Opaleke, director of the WBYO, described it as a “life skills program pretending to be a drop-in.”

“Basically, what we do for children is offer everything from free play to cooking to honestly Jets games,” he said.

“Any life skill that we feel any child needs to get to that next level.”

WBYO has been around for over three decades and has seen countless success stories.

Opaleke said the organization’s success comes from its volunteers and parental trust.

“There are limitless amounts of young professionals -- firefighters, nurses, electricians, et cetera,” he said.

The three-hour Ride 4 Kids begins on Saturday at 10 a.m. The route begins at the Mulvey School field, then goes west on Wolseley Avenue, crosses Omand’s Creek via Portage Avenue Trail and ends with a barbecue at FoodFare on Maryland.

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.