Bikers celebrate being nice at anti-bullying event Saturday
Members of the motorcycle community gathered Saturday to celebrate a boy – and the movement he helped spark.
Bullying Enns, a non-profit supporting children being bullied, started in 2017 when Steve Enns offered to drive seven-year-old Xander Hartson to school on his motorcycle.
After hearing that Xander was being bullied, seven other bikers joined Enns to drop the boy off one morning.
The group has been organizing rides for kids since that day.
"We're all about anti-bullying and teaching people to be nice," Enns said
According to the Bullying Enns website, riders are not there to confront bullies. The rides are to empower kids make them feel accepted by a larger community.
In honour of the inaugural ride, the group gathered for a surprise "Xander day" party on Saturday, where they gifted the teen a motorized scooter of his own.
"Seeing that he turned 14, we decided to do something a little special," Enns said.
"I had no idea this was going to happen," Xander said. "It's quite crazy. I didn't expect it."
Xander's mother, Jennifer Hartson, was emotional seeing so many people out Saturday.
She said the group has been an amazing support for her family over the past seven years.
"There's been lots of events where he can go and meet other kids who have been bullied, and it's really a great community," Jennifer said. "It's a really, really good group and it's impacted so many kids."
For more information on Bullying Enns, visit the group's website.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Dave Mitchell
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.