The Typically Canadian riders. (Photo supplied)

A year after his grandfather died of cancer in 2005, Kyle Braatz found a pin from St. Andrew's College lying on the deck of the family's cottage dock near Westport, Ont.

Nobody knew where the pin came from. He said his grandfather, former Newfoundland premier Frank Duff Moores, didn't wear it,despite being a school alumnus.

Mr. Braatz took finding the pin as a sign he should honour his grandfather's memory by cycling across Canada to raise money for cancer research. So Mr. Braatz and three cycle-bound cronies began the quest in Port Renfrew, B.C. on May 2, stopping at communities along the way to fundraise and network.

But to complete his task, Mr. Braatz said he'd need to employ business skills taught by Mr. Moores and that he's currently learning at the University of Ottawa's Telfer School of Management.

"You have to be business-minded when you do this," said Mr. Braatz, his cellphone crackling as he spoke from in Brandon, Man. "Even though we're not a business to make profit for ourselves, we are trying to make a profit by fundraising."

After finding the pin, Mr. Braatz approached the folks at Telfer for financial and moral support. Two classmates joined him on the tour, as well as a recent graduate from the University of Western Ontario. All have lost relatives to cancer.

The foursome then formulated a business plan to make their tour stand out from dozens of other cross-Canada jaunts each summer.

First came the branding. They called themselves the Typically Canadian group, to highlight how anyone of any background or race can be struck with the disease. Whitby-based company eMagine, which Mr. Braatz was familiar with through a university friend, came up with a logo for the group and provided free web hosting services – at typicallycanadian.ca – for the foursome to promote their journey.

"We knew the tour was a wonderful idea and wanted to help how we could," said Al Hoffman, communication specialist for eMagine. "So our motivations were altruistic."

The tour now boasts nearly two dozen sponsoring agencies, ranging from photography studios to nutrition specialists. But sponsorship only goes so far, and the team needed individuals to kick-start fundraising.

They began with family and friends, but then discovered the perfect target audience to focus their efforts: firefighters. Since Mr. Braatz's father is a firefighter, he's aware that they encounter a large number of potentially hazardous chemicals while on duty. "The firefighters are doing a great job to help us raise money," said Mr. Braatz, adding, "They even let us stay in the parking lots of fire departments at night."

The tour itself has been, and continues to be, a gruelling marathon. It includes stops in 72 communities coast-to-coast; each night, the group sleeps in an RV provided by Fraserway RV, and driven by Kyle's father, Al Braatz. In the end, the group hopes to raise $720,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.

At a current tally of $26,000, they admit they're far from reaching their goal. But it's a real-life lesson that demonstrates the need to reach a larger audience, Mr. Braatz said, adding they're holding media events and spending time talking to people in each community.

Telfer is trying to help ease the burden on the travelling students, said Christian Coulombe, who handles media relations for the institute. "The school is supporting (the team) in their efforts, both as a sponsor and in terms of some media logistics," he said.

"Our students are involved in various clubs and events to help give back to the community, whether a fashion show to raise money for (the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario), or a silent auction to raise money for breast cancer."

The school itself has roots dating back to 1969. Its mission statement is to promote team-building and communication skills in the workplace, as well as to help prospective businesspeople do community work. This feeling of 'social-corporate responsibility' that the Typically Canadian team exhibits is a hallmark of what the school teaches its students, explained Glen Bailey, the school's director of executive leadership programs.

"That link with the community is an intimate experience with the Telfer program," Mr. Bailey said. "It's part of a well-rounded development for the student experience."

To strengthen those links, the school recently expanded its Centre for Executive Leadership, located at the World Exchange Plaza in the heart of Ottawa.

Back in Brandon, Mr. Braatz was about to hit up the latest media event promoting his journey. As tired as he felt after biking 140 kilometres that day, he said he remained inspired.

"All the guys saw the vision right from the start and put the steps together to achieve this," Mr. Braatz said.

The tour will stop in Ottawa on June 27, and end July 26 in St. John's.

By Elizabeth Howell

Special to the OBJ

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IN BRIEF

The Typically Canadian riders

Kyle Braatz – Telfer School of Management

Steve Coleman – Telfer School of Management

Alex Gray – Telfer School of Management

Andrew Hopkins – University of Western Ontario