Blog: Ride for Unity
January 23, 2024
Tuesday morning. All of WellSpring lines the road outside school, waiting. The first cyclists round the corner to a crescendo of shouts and cheering.
This wasn’t a cycle race, and this was no ordinary day. It was in fact day 4 of Ride for Unity’s "7 Days / 7 Emirates" challenge.
Ride for Unity is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion, sustainability, and tolerance. From January 6th - 12th, Ride for Unity presented "7 Days / 7 Emirates”, a unique event bringing together a team of amateur cyclists made up of business leaders, entrepreneurs and visionaries, united in their passion for cycling and their commitment to societal values. Over the course of seven days, they criss-crossed the United Arab Emirates, covering each of the seven Emirates.
...dedicated to promoting diversity, inclusion, sustainability, and tolerance.
Each day, the team stopped at universities, schools and various locations in each of the Emirates to engage in lectures, panels, interactive engagements, and workshops on a range of topics with underlying themes of positivity, tolerance, diversity, inclusion, and the power of humans working together for the greater good – delivered through the unifying means of sports and cycling.
Day 4
Day 4 saw the team stop off for the morning at The WellSpring Private School. Check out their schedule here. It was an honor to be the school in RAK who hosted the team, and we planned for almost a full year in advance to make sure we capitalized on this amazing and truly unique opportunity.
Some WellSpring students, staff and parents joined the Ride for Unity team and rode around the school to arrive together to a waiting and cheering throng of students, excited to welcome the riders to our school for the day.
We had Jessica Smith, Paralympian and motivational speaker, reading her own published books to our Kindergarten students; Herb Lang, Harlem Globetrotter, holding Basketball and Kindness workshops in the gym for elementary kids; Carlos explaining the oxygen set up on his bike and how he overcomes adversity to still live life to the fullest; Dr Sven talking to our students about the power of nutrition; Justin Levene, wheelchair racer and disability rights activist, giving a hand cycle demo and challenging the students to some jiu-jitsu wrestling; Daniel Bernard and Faisal Al Nuaimi demonstrating aerodynamics to the kids, and so much more! Showcasing the benefits of technology in sport, students competed to kick a soccer ball using a ball fitted with a speed radar, rode Zwift bikes and had ailments checked out by chiropractor and physiotherapist Dr. Stefan Penny.
This was an extraordinary event, with the team sharing and demonstrating the absolute importance of kindness, inclusion, diversity, tolerance and perseverance – all values that are close to our heart. It was a fun morning where we were challenged, inspired and had our minds broadened with the hope of possibility. Truly a celebration of unity and diversity, "where every pedal stroke symbolizes our collective efforts towards a more inclusive and sustainable world."
...every pedal stroke symbolizes our collective efforts towards a more inclusive and sustainable world.
To top it off, we received an encouraging message from the Ride for Unity organizers who saw the impact of the hard work our teachers and staff put in each day with our students:
“I can not praise or thank you, your staff, the parents and students enough for the incredible support you gave to us - starting with our very first meeting. You have been an extraordinary partner for us throughout and I think it was one of our favorite schools that we stopped at. Your students, teachers and the parents were amazing, so engaging and enthusiastic. It was one of the highlights of our tour and moved our entire team. The impact you are making in their lives, and now ours, is clearly evident and palpable.
Thank you for your unwavering support, your incredible dedication to your students, which really shines through, and for being such an extraordinary part of the Ras Al Khaimah community. Your school and staff have set the bar very high and the love, passion and support you provide your students with, is evident from the inside out. We are honored to have been a part of your school and community and cannot wait to come back next year!
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”
An extraordinary experience indeed. We're already looking forward to next year!
In the meantime, keep spreading kindness wherever you go - it's free.
Recognized for excellence
The WellSpring Private School is accredited by Cognia, the largest education improvement organization in the world—demonstrating our commitment to learners, teachers, leaders and communities.