A team of RCMP officers and their support crew are travelling through the East and West Kootenay raising money for children in crisis.
Thirty-four cyclists and a seven-person support crew from RCMP and supporting enforcement agencies within the South East District departed Friday from Kelowna on the annual Cops for Kids Ride, presented by the Kelowna Foundation for Hope and Social Innovation.
The team will make its way south along Highway 97 for the first of 10 days to raise awareness and essential funds for children in medical, physical or traumatic crisis. Everyone is encouraged to come down for a refreshment and to support the team.
The riders stopped in Trail Sunday afternoon and headed to Nelson on Monday before riding to the East Kootenay.
“Our route covers a vast and mountainous corner of the province with unrelenting hills and inclement weather at times, but these riders know that on the other side of each mountain is a family who has benefited from our fundraising efforts,” says Ride Captain Retired Staff Sergeant Major Julio Krenz. “Our riders join the RCMP to help people and make a difference in their communities.”
The 2019 Ride will take the team over 1,000 kilometres across the southeastern corner of British Columbia, stopping in 26 communities.
Since inception, they’ve raised over $5.5 million through their signature event. With requests from families on the rise, they’re working even harder to support the local children who need it most. Funds from the event support requests for medical equipment, transportation to Children’s Hospital, specialized therapies, learning and mobility aids.
“With our need continuing to grow, we are working harder than ever to ensure that we’ve got funding available for local children in their time of crisis,” says Cops for Kids President Grant Fletcher. “We’ve already had 175 requests this year from families in our region so we are asking the communities we serve to help us help the local children.”