.png){kind=small}
Volunteer Sportlight: Moyra Deans
When Moyra first heard about Trips for Kids Ottawa, she had been retired for a few years and hadn’t done much formal volunteering before. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
What she didn’t expect was how much fun she would have.
Moyra found her place volunteering with TFKO’s girls biking program, where she gets to share something she cares deeply about: helping girls discover the joy of riding a bike and being outdoors.
“What I really love about the girls program Trips for Kids does is to get girls to enjoy riding a bike and feel the magic of riding in the woods.”
But what Moyra hopes the girls carry away from those rides reaches well beyond their time with TFKO.
She imagines them years from now, grown up with jobs, families and busy lives, remembering how it felt to be on a bike. Maybe, she says, they’ll even choose to ride to work, giving themselves “a half hour all for themselves to recharge and feel like a kid again before their next task.”
There is something beautiful in that hope: that an experience a young person has today might become something they return to years from now simply because they remember how it made them feel.
Volunteering has also given Moyra opportunities to learn. As part of the girls program, she completed an online course about girls in sport, something she describes as “a fantastic course.”
It also gave her more to think about. Moyra recognizes the pressures girls face around appearance and how amplified those messages can feel today. Helping girls experience movement and sport simply for the pleasure of it matters to her.
“Showing girls how to enjoy moving their bodies and playing in sport under the spotlight of today's trends is challenging but Trips for Kids found the way!”
Perhaps what comes through most clearly when Moyra talks about volunteering is just how much she enjoys it. “I really love my volunteer gig.”
She believes part of the reason is that she found something she genuinely likes to do. Giving back doesn’t feel like a chore. And then there is the experience of spending time with young people, something Moyra describes as “a wonderful mix of helping, supporting, and encouraging people that want to be happy, want to have fun and smile without a reason.”
Her advice to others, particularly those who find themselves with a little extra discretionary time, is to consider volunteering. And for anyone who happens to enjoy mountain biking, she has an even more specific suggestion: “And if you like to MTN bike, volunteer for trips for kids!”
How You Can Be Part of This
Stories like Moyra’s remind us that volunteering can begin simply by sharing something you already enjoy and, along the way, helping a young person discover that joy for themselves.
If you’re curious about volunteering with Trips for Kids Ottawa, there are many ways to get involved. Some volunteers ride or skate alongside youth, while others lend their time and talents behind the scenes. You don’t have to be a mountain bike or even get on a bike or skates to have something valuable to contribute.
And if volunteering isn’t possible right now, becoming part of our GEM – Giving Every Month community or making a donation is another way to help. Your support helps us provide the equipment, programming and caring community that make these experiences possible.
Every form of support matters. Every contribution helps create moments like these.
