REGINA — Early Thursday, a group of University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture and Bioresources students hit Highway 11 with an unusual mission: push a heavy, custom-built bed nearly 260 kilometres to Saskatoon — all for TeleMiracle 50.
The tradition, known simply as Bedpush, has been part of campus culture since 1982. For 42 years, Agros students and alumni have taken turns muscling the custom-built decorated vintage-style bed frame down the side of the highway to raise money and awareness for Saskatchewan’s iconic telethon. Since 2018, the event has been held every other year, aligning with major TeleMiracle milestones. This year’s push supports TeleMiracle 50.
“It’s a big bed on four bike tires,” laughed Laurel O’Neill, public relations officer with the Agriculture Student Association and one of the organizers. “It’s super heavy, super awkward, and we push it all the way. There are rails sticking out on the sides, and you kind of lean your body weight into it to steer. It’s brute force.”
The bed, made of metal and plywood and painted with the Agros emblem, takes three days to travel the roughly 260 kilometres between Regina and Saskatoon. Students push during daylight hours only. At night, the bed “sleeps” in whichever community they reach, often staying with alumni or supporters before the journey resumes the next morning.
It is equal parts endurance test and prairie spectacle.
Drivers along Highway 11 slow down, honk, wave and sometimes pull over to donate. The committee accepts cash, card and e-transfer. Donations can also be made online through their official TeleMiracle fundraising page and through the U of S Agros social media channels.
You can also make a donation by sending an email to Laurel O’Neill at publicrelationsuofs@gmail.com
“If people see us on the highway, they can stop and donate,” O’Neill said. “Every dollar counts. Anything over $10 gets a tax receipt. We just ask for patience on Highway 11.”
Over the decades, Bedpush has become one of the most recognizable grassroots fundraisers tied to TeleMiracle, which is organized by the Kinsmen Foundation of Saskatchewan. Funds raised support medical travel, mobility equipment and specialized medical needs for Saskatchewan residents who might otherwise go without.
In 2024 alone, the Agros raised more than $98,000 through sponsorships, campus fundraisers and highway donations. This year, their goal is $100,000.
“It takes a village to do it,” O’Neill said. “Current students, alumni, faculty, sponsors, people who have just heard about it over the years. Everyone comes together. It’s such a fun event to see that kind of community spirit for such a great cause.”
The bed itself was rebuilt about 20 years ago to withstand prairie winds, potholes and the sheer force required to keep it rolling straight. Riders are not allowed for safety reasons, though tradition sometimes allows someone to hop on for the final stretch into Saskatoon.
The physical toll is real. Pushing a weighted metal frame against February winds demands teamwork and grit. But the symbolism runs deeper.
For 50 years, TeleMiracle has broadcast stories of Saskatchewan families facing unimaginable medical challenges. Over that half century, it has raised more than $100 million to ensure people across the province can access needed support.
Bedpush is the road version of that same promise.
A handful of students, leaning into cold steel and prairie wind, proving that if you push long enough and hard enough, you can move something bigger than yourself.
By Saturday, that bed will roll into Saskatoon, marking the end of another journey measured not just in kilometres, but in compassion.
And somewhere along Highway 11, another driver will slow down, reach for their wallet and help push it a little farther.
