At Teranet, we recognize and appreciate the efforts of our employees who continually strive to strengthen their connections to their respective communities.
In this month’s Employee Community Involvement Spotlight, we are proud to feature Laura Kemp, Senior Manager of Sales Operations and Effectiveness. In this feature, she shares her passion for working towards children’s welfare, how she became a part of Canada Cycles for Kids, and the importance of raising funds for this cause.
Can you provide more information about the organization/cause support?
Canada Cycles for Kids (CCFK) was founded in 2002 and is devoted to helping children across Canada. CCFK has organized and completed twenty fundraising bicycle tours covering every Canadian province, many twice, and over 25,000 kilometres cycled. This has been for the benefit of organizations that help children across Canada. To date, over $2,500,000 has been raised and provided to several organizations, including the Children Wish Foundation of Canada, Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation in Newfoundland, the Yukon Hospital Foundation, the IWK Health Centre in Nova Scotia, and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Prince Edward Island.
Why is this cause important to you and what inspired you to get involved?
As my uncle is one of the founding members of CCFK, this organization has been a part of my life since I was very young. Growing up, my brother and I tagged along on tours in the support vehicle, and six years ago, I joined the cycling team. Supporting these charities is incredibly rewarding – seeing exactly the type of hospital equipment that our donations fund and learning how these changes in the hospital will benefit the many sick children in need of care makes all the cycling miles worthwhile. I have been an avid cyclist for most of my adult life, so being able to combine this passion with a cause like helping children could not be a more exciting combination.
So far, my favourite trip was in the summer of 2022 – 15 other cyclists and I cycled 600km through the Yukon and Alaska over seven days. We raised over $400,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation and the Yukon Hospital Foundation. It was a breathtaking ride alongside very successful fundraising for these organizations.
How can others get involved or contribute to the cause?
You can learn about the many charities we support on our website or, if you’re inclined to hop on a road bike and join the fundraising efforts, you can email me at laura.kemp@teranet.ca for more information. You can also follow us on Instagram @canadacyclesforkids for updates on our upcoming events. A big thanks to Teranet for supporting the 2023 Maritime Odyssey ride!
Kindly share a brief note about yourself and your current role at Teranet.
I joined Teranet in October 2020 as a member of the Financial Solutions Customer Success team and took over the role of Senior Manager, Sales Operations and Effectiveness 2 years ago. I am an avid cyclist, runner, and martial artist, recently earning my 5th degree black belt in Goju Ryu karate. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, working out, and training for triathlons.
