When Sault Ste. Marie’s Noah Mittleholtz returned from a recent Alongside Hope Youth Council gathering in Thunder Bay, he came home inspired to help expand the annual Wild Ride across the Diocese of Algoma.
Mittleholtz serves on the Alongside Hope Youth Council as the representative for Canadian Lutheran World Relief. Since joining the council in 2025, he has participated in national conversations about faith, justice, youth engagement, and global mission, bringing a northern Ontario perspective to the work of the Church.
This summer, he will channel that experience into local action by captaining the Algoma Deanery Wild Ride team in support of Alongside Hope’s 2026 campaign. “The idea is to bring people together from across the deanery and participate as one team,” said Mittleholtz.
Wild Ride is Alongside Hope’s annual peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. This year’s project will help fund the installation of solar panels at St. Luke’s Hospital in Nablus, in partnership with the Diocese of Jerusalem. Donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar through a generous matching gift program.
Mittleholtz hopes the Algoma Deanery effort will become part of a broader diocesan movement. While the Thunder Bay–North Shore Deanery has long championed Wild Ride participation under the leadership of diocesan Alongside Hope representative Carol Knox, organizers hope to see all five deaneries represented in some way this year.
The Algoma Deanery event is planned for August 23 and is expected to align with diocesan recognition of Refugee Sunday. Mittleholtz is exploring a deanery-wide walk that would bring participants together from several congregations. One possibility under discussion is building on existing partnerships between churches that are already worshipping together that weekend. “The idea is to bring people together from across the deanery and participate as one team,” he said.
The initiative reflects a growing commitment among young Anglicans to take leadership roles within the Church. Rather than waiting for future opportunities, Mittleholtz believes young people have important contributions to make right now.
For Noah, the goal is simple: bringing people together around a shared act of faith, generosity, and hope.
Those wishing to make an early donation or join the Algoma Deanery Wild Ride team can visit https://www.canadahelps.org/s/2mUmau
For more information about the Algoma Deanery event or ways to get involved, contact Noah Mittleholtz at noahmittelholtz@gmail.com.