Cops for Cancer rolled into Maple Ridge schools on Wednesday.
The riders with the annual bike tour that raises funds for childhood cancer research were met by cheering students carrying encouraging signs they made, and holding out their hands for a high five as the cyclist went past schools.
They rode past Harry Hooge Elementary, and made stops at both Meadowridge School and Albion Elementary – all before 10 a.m.
Hometown riders Cpl. Peter Westra and Const. James Eastwood, of the Ridge Meadows RCMP, are part of the Tour de Coast team, and told students about the tour and their cause at the local stops.
Also on the tour is Brooke Sherwood, a Maple Ridge resident who works with the Canadian Cancer society as vice-president of engagement and insights.
“This cause is near and dear to my heart,” said Sherwood, explaining she is an alumni rider who was on the tour last year, and was with the tour for a day.
“They’ve ridden over 600 km and done over 3,500 metres of elevation, so they are killing it,” she said of the team.
“They’re on their way to achieving their fundraising goal, and it’s because of schools like this,” she said at Albion, where all the kids were cheering in front of the school, holding up signs, and interacting with the riders.
“We’re riding to support pediatric cancer research, and support pediatric programs like Camp Goodtimes in Maple Ridge, up at Loon Lake,” Sherwood said. “That’s a fully funded program, so families that have children experiencing cancer don’t have to worry about the financial burden of sending their children to a medically supervised camp.
“Kids get it – they make the signs, and they’ve been fundraising,” she said. “And this also helps spread the word about healthy lifestyles and healthy living.”
There are five different tours in B.C., and between Sept.13 and today (Friday, Sept. 20) the Tour de Coast riders will have cycled more than 800 km across the coastline and through Greater Vancouver.
The fundraiser, a tradition among first responders across Canada, has garnered more than $54 million since it started in 1997. It has become the largest national charitable funder of childhood cancer research.
Donations to Westra and Eastwood can be made online at support.cancer.ca.
