Tana Silverland will be asking residents this question on April 5, when her epic 2½-year journey across Canada brings her to town.
As a recent immigrant to Canada from the United Kingdom, Tana is pedalling her recumbent trike from town to town across the length and breadth of the country, asking people what they love about the place that they call home.
She is also hoping to give orphans around the world the chance to answer the same question, by spreading the word about SOS Children’s Villages, an international charity that provides new homes and families for children who have no-one else to care for them.
Having been virtually bedridden with a serious illness for nearly ten years, Tana knows only too well what a difference a loving family makes. “Many organizations abandon the children in their care once they reach the age of majority, but just like my own parents, SOS Children’s Villages continues to look after its children until they are fully ready to live independently, even if illness or other factors mean that this point does not neatly coincide with their 19th birthday.
“SOS Children’s Villages also provides health care facilities for the whole community if none currently exist, so what better way to celebrate my return to health than to make a cycling journey that could help others enjoy good health too?” she said.
Tana’s journey began in Whitehorse last June, and now, after pedalling more than 2,500 km, she will be arriving in Okanagan Falls on Tuesday, April 5. She would love to know what you think is special about this area, so go to http://tanasilverland.wordpress.com, click on ‘The Place you Call Home’, and let her know.If you would like to help provide an orphan somewhere in the world with a place that they can call home too, visit the SOS Children’s Villages website (http://www.soschildrensvillages.ca) and click on ‘You Can Help’.”