Please contact us at ride@heartandstroke.ca

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© 2022 Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada
Charitable number 106846942RR0001

FAQs

We’ve tried to answer many common questions below, but if you need additional help, please get in touch.


Event Details

  • What is the 2024 Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart going to look like this year?

    In 2024, Ride for Heart will continue as a national, digital-first fundraising event, offering flexibility and inclusivity to participants across Canada. We look forward to welcoming thousands of supporters who will come together to challenge themselves by getting active and raising funds to beat heart disease and stroke. 


    We're so grateful for your continued support. Because of your commitment and generosity, we raised $5.7 million between 2020 and 2023.

  • Why should I participate in and fundraise for the Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart?

    It has never been more urgent to accelerate research breakthroughs. Many people don’t realize that shockingly, one person dies in Canada every 5 minutes from heart disease, stroke or vascular cognitive impairment.

  • When can I do my ride, walk or run?

    Get moving anytime during the month of June to beat heart disease and stroke. Join us from anywhere in Canada to make every beat count.  Participation is flexible, so if June is busy, you can flex and set your own 4-weeks that work best for you. 

  • Why is Heart & Stroke continuing with a digital event format?

    Heart & Stroke made the business decision to pivot Ride for Heart to a digital-first event experience to further drive mission impact. This format reaches more people across the country and reduces event costs, allowing us to allocate more funds towards breakthrough research and health promotion. We put the constituent at the center of everything we do, and we are excited to continue to connect with constituents across Canada.

  • Who is CrowdChange?

    CrowdChange is a Heart & Stroke partner and the fundraising platform for the Ride for Heart. CrowdChange provides an easy and safe way to raise funds online for Heart & Stroke. They assist Heart & Stroke in everything from developing the site to providing technical customer service support to our participants and donors.  

  • What does June (Event month) look like for Ride for Heart this year?

    For all of our participants, we are excited to offer a flexible and fun event experience.  You can pick when you want to do your ride, run or walk during the month of June. You can pick one specific in day in June or maybe you want to pick a bunch of days to get active.  You can use our event day resources and ideas here where you can create your own virtual event experience that suits you best.  And mostly importantly, you will strive to hit your individual fundraising goals to help beat heart disease and stroke!


    For our Corporate Challenges, they will complete their Ride for Heart Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge during the month of June. They will compete to see reach their team fundraising goals and who can earn the most kilometres.  The Fundraising & Fitness planner will outline their weekly challenges. Check it out here!


  • Do you have any suggestions of how I can celebrate event month?

    We have lots of suggestions on how to personalize your event month celebrations.  Check out our event month resources here!  

    If you are a team captain, we have even more ideas for how you and your team can get active and have fun together.  Check it out here.  

    Don’t forget to share photos with us on social media and tag #HeartAndStrokeRideAsOne.



Participation

  • Is there a registration fee to participate in the Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart?

    We’ve removed registration fees to be more inclusive, get more people active and to share more hearts this year! We encourage everyone to help in our fight against heart disease and stroke, by fundraising our suggested minimum of $100.  Thank you for your support!

  • Can I support Heart & Stroke and the Ride for Heart without participating? How can I donate?

    We are extremely appreciative of any donation to support the work Heart & Stroke continues to do in our fight to beat heart disease & stroke, which are two of the three leading causes of death in Canada. We need your support now more than ever so that we can continue to do the important work we do. To support someone participating in the virtual event, please donate through their personal page which you can find by searching for the participant on our website. Otherwise, you can make a general Ride for Heart donation. fundraising our suggested minimum of $100.  Thank you for your support!

  • Is there a KM minimum to participate?

    No! You can do whatever distance or activity is best for you. We encourage you to participate in our Kilometre Challenge to add to your KM total throughout the event. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish!


  • Are children able to participate?

    Children of all ages can participate and should complete their ride, walk or run activity under the supervision of their parents or guardian.

  • I want to share my photos for the Ride for Heart, where should I do this?

    We encourage you to share your photos, accomplishments and more on social media. It is a great way to share in the experience together as a community of supporters.  Make sure you use the hashtag #HeartAndStrokeRideAsOne. 


    And if you’re part of our Corporae Challenge or a VIP, you can also use our secondary hashtags which are #RideCorporateChallenge or #RideVIP.


  • How do I register for the Ride for Heart?

    You can register for the Ride for Heart through our online registration. Join as an individual, team of friends and family, start a corporate team or take on the challenge of being a VIP participant.  Learn more about how you can get involved!


    If you participated with us in 2023, you can sign-up using your username and password from last year.  If you participated in 2022 or before, you will need to create a new username and password.


  • Can I register as an individual, group or team?

    Yes, you can register as an individual, a group or a Corporate Challenge team.


    Individuals are single participants who are excited to raise funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation and participate in the Ride for Heart. Please select the General Participant option to begin during registration.


    Teams are defined as two or more people who will be raising funds and participating together. So, if you’re participating with at least one other person (such as a friend, co-worker, group or club member), choose the Team option when registering.


    The Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge is an employee engagement experience organizations can use to stay connected while giving back to their community. Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge teams can be made up of any combination of riders, walkers and runners and compete against other organizations in weekly activity and fundraising challenges throughout the month of June.  You can learn more about the Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge here.


  • I would like to participate with my husband/sister/child/friend. Do I have to register everyone separately?

    Yes. Each person simply has to complete the online registration form and sign an event waiver. If a participant is less than 18 years old, a parent (or custodian/guardian) will have to sign the waiver on the child's behalf.


    Through our online registration system, you can register additional participants while completing your own registration. Once you get to the confirmation screen, there will be an option to register another participant.  Please select this, and then complete the steps for all additional participants.


    Thank you so much for encouraging others to join you. Register now.


    P.S.  We have a referral program this year. You can win some great prizes just by encouraging others to sign-up for the Ride for Heart!  Refer your friends and family to the Ride for Heart and ask them to enter your email address during the registration process.  For more information about this program, click here.


  • Is it possible to change a registered Group or Team name?

    Yes, your Captain (the person who registered the team) can make this change in their Participant Centre. This includes Corporate Challenge team Captains as well.

  • How do I set my kilometre goal?

    If you are looking for a place to publicize your goal, we recommend you add it to the text on your personal page.  To edit your personal page, follow the steps here.  How high you set your goal is up to you!

  • How can I track my kilometres?

    There are two ways to track your kilometres.  You can input your kilometres manually or you can set-up a Strava connection.


    You can pick which way works best for you or do a combination of both – either way you choose your kilometres will be reflected in your participant centre.

  • What is Strava?

    Strava is an app that is available for PC, IOS and Android devices that amalgamates fitness data in one place from a number of devices.  Ride for Heart uses Strava to import your kilometre progress directly to your Kilometre Challenge.  Using Strava to track your kilometres is optional and you can also input your progress manually following these steps.

  • How do I connect my fitness device to Strava

    A number of fitness watches, as well as android and ios phones can be used with Strava to record kilometres towards your activity challenge.  For more information on how to connect and use each device, visit the Strava help centre here.

  • What activities in Strava count towards my Kilometre Challenge?

    Once you connect Strava to your Ride for Heart participation centre, any activity recorded in Strava under the headings “Ride”, “Walk”, or “Run”, will automatically be counted against your Kilometre Challenge.

  • What kind of activities can I do if I don’t want to ride, walk or run?

    You can choose to participate how you want to participate, with the activity, the distance and/or time of your choice during the month of June. Whether it’s riding a bike, walking or participating in something else active, physical activity reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. 


How to join the Corporate Challenge

  • I would like my company to have a team. How do I sign up?

    Thank you so much! You can now register your Corporate team online directly via our registration page. If you have any questions, simply contact our Corporate Challenge Coordinator staff at corporatechallenge@heartandstroke.ca.

  • The company I work for has signed up. How do I register as part of their team?

    That’s great! You’ll just need to know your team name to register. Find your team name and sign up here.


    If you have any questions, reach out to your team captain, who can assist or direct you to a support representative.


  • How do I start a corporate challenge team?

    If you are interested in starting a corporate team, you can  register your team directly online now. If you have any questions, email us at CorporateChallenge@heartandstroke.ca. We look forward to your organization joining us for an amazing employee engagement experience while raising funds to support the fight against heart disease & stroke!

  • What is the Ride for Heart Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge?

    Our Ride for Heart Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge. Corporate teams can shine a spotlight on employee health and wellness and stimulate competition as they strive to get active and fundraise to help beat heart disease and stroke.


    Throughout June, the Ride for Heart Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge encourages employees to take a break from their screens, get moving and fundraise. Employees will be encouraged to complete weekly physical activity and fundraising challenges that are tailored towards those who work from home or in the office.


    Participation is flexible so if June is busy you can pick a time that works best for you and your team. You can set your own 4-weeks that work best for you, right up until August 31!


  • Why should my team participate in the Ride for Heart Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge?

    We invite you to join a month-long challenge that gets employees active and inspired to help beat heart disease and stroke. Here are some great reasons to participate:


    • Boost morale and show employees that you care about their health and wellness

    • Have fun rallying your team to meet your fundraising goal and unite your employees to support Heart & Stroke

    • Earn Ride for Heart swag, along with exclusive team and individual prizes through fundraising.

    • Stimulate friendly competition amongst your employees to drive engagement

    • Show the world that you’re an employer who has fun and is working to help beat heart disease and stroke 

    • Personalized fundraising support to help you coach your team to reach your goal

    Additional health and wellness resources

  • I don’t see the question I want to ask here. Who can I contact to ask my question?

    If you have any questions about Ride for Heart Corporate Health and Wellness Challenge, please reach out to CorporateChallenge@heartandstroke.ca for more information and the team will be happy to help! 


Fundraising Resources and Tools

  • Do I have to fundraise to take part in the Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart?

    We challenge all participants over 18 years of age to raise a minimum of $100 (and hopefully even more!). It has never been more urgent to accelerate research breakthroughs. Many people don’t realize that shockingly, every five minutes, someone in this country still dies from heart disease, stroke and vascular cognitive impairment.


    Please visit our Rewards page to learn about exclusive incentives for our VIP supporters and special fundraising promotions available to everyone!



  • How do I fundraise?

    First, log in to your Participant Centre. From there, you can send emails to your friends and family or leverage our  social templates to engage a wider audience. 


    Remember to also visit our resources page for the most up-to-date fundraising, resources and tips.


  • How do I make an offline donation?

    We strongly encourage you to ask your supporters to donate online through your personal fundraising page.


    If that isn’t possible, you can still collect offline donations by filling out our offline donation form and then mailing it to Heart & Stroke. Please do not send cash in the mail. Mailing details of where to send the funds and other instructions are located on the form itself.


    Tip: Check to see if your company offers a match program to increase your fundraising!  


  • How will you use the money that I raise?

    The dollars you raise help fund critical research that has never been more urgent. Learn more about some of the incredible research Heart & Stroke is supporting right now. You can see more details on how we put your donated dollars to work!

  • Does each member of a Team need to raise $100? Or is it a combined total?

    We challenge each adult on your team to raise $100, unless they are on a VIP Team. To qualify as a VIP team and earn exclusive VIP perks, the team needs to average $1,000 per member (although each individual team member doesn’t need to reach $1,000).

    Here are some quick tips:

    • Check out our resources page here for some quick and easy tips fundraising tips.

    • Get started by donating to your own fundraising page. It’ll set the bar and bring you that much closer!


  • If there is a Ride for Heart corporate match, will the matched funds be added to my fundraising thermometer?

    Unfortunately, no. We can only count donations made by yourself or your donors to your fundraising page.


    The match amount facilitated by any contributing corporate partner cannot be added to your fundraising total. However, the total match amount allocated by the partner (as determined by the corporate partner) will be provided in total to Heart & Stroke. Rest assured, your impact is being felt!

  • Are there still incentives for fundraising? When will you send them?

    Please visit our Rewards section for more details on this year’s fundraising incentives and special promotions. Remember, if you raise over $1,000 you’ll qualify as a VIP and receive an exclusive Heart & Stroke VIP apparel item.  

  • Does my online profile show me who my teammates are?

    You can find your team roster on your public team profile page, under team roster. You can also login to your Participant Centre, then click on the “my team” link.


Become a VIP

  • What is a Ride for Heart VIP?

    Our Ride for Heart VIPs or Very Important Philanthropists are those participants who want to go over and above with their fundraising support.


    As a VIP, you are committing to raising a minimum of $1,000 for the Ride for Heart.


  • How do I become a VIP?

    When you register, select the VIP participant registration type and set your fundraising goal for at least $1,000 or more. It’s that easy!  


    A big thank you to all of our VIPs who have made a significant contribution to our mission, and we extend additional perks to our VIPs as a thank you for your hard work.


  • Why should I become a VIP?

    When you register to become a VIP, you are joining a community of Heart & Stroke supporters who are fully committed to making a big impact.


    You’ll earn VIP perks such as:


    • Ride for Heart VIP swag

    • Personalized fundraising support to help you reach your goal

    • Additional health and wellness resources

    • Invitations to special events 


  • Can my friends/family and I form a VIP team?

    Yes! When you raise a total of $1,000 for each per every adult participant on your team, then everybody on the team will receive a VIP apparel item. For example, a 4-person team with a total of $4,000 in funds raised automatically qualifies as a VIP team, regardless of individual fundraising amounts. To learn more, please contact us at VIP@heartandstroke.ca

  • My family/friends and I all registered separately, can we form a team?

    Of course! Please contact VIP@heartandstroke.ca and include the names and emails of those you want to team up with.

  • I don’t see the question I want to ask here. Who can I contact to ask my question?

    Contact us at VIP@heartandstroke.ca

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