Mission RCMP Const. Christine Day looks forward to meeting cheering kids along the 800-kilometre Cops for Cancer bike ride this fall, to raise dollars to support pediatric cancer research. Submitted photo, Abbotsford Times.
Photograph by: submitted , for the TIMES
This week Mission Mountie Christine Day is donning her uniform and helmet and joining a squad of officers readying for battle.
But she and her law enforcement colleagues are gearing up to combat cancer rather than crime.
Const. Day is joining the Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley bicycle trip that sees participants ride more than 800 kilometres in nine days from Langley to Boston Bar, then back again south to Tsawwassen and White Rock, to raise funds to fight pediatric cancer.
Before taking part in Cops for Cancer last year, Day had never spent more than 20 kilometres on a bike saddle, but now she's prepared to log 100-plus kilometres a day.
"It's physically very challenging and requires a lot of training to get ready for it. I originally did it because my mother had breast cancer 11 years ago."
But Day's focus has shifted after last year's tour and meeting the squad's junior team members and then attending Camp Goodtimes, a summer getaway for kids with cancer and their families.
"It all made me realize how difficult it is for children to fight this disease," she said.
"And how important it is to continue to work towards a cure and to support the children and families whose lives are affected by cancer."
Though the tour rides can be grueling and take place in all sorts of weather, kids along the route provide riders with bright moments.
The tour makes numerous stops at schools, along with a police escort complete with lights and sirens.
"The kids get really excited . . . they do lots of yelling and screaming to cheer us on," said Day.
"We totally feed off that. It gives us the energy to get back on our bikes and get to the next stop."
The communities in the Fraser Valley they ride through are also very supportive of the tour, said Day.
Mission residents donated more than $6,000 to Cops for Cancer when Day did a 48-hour pole sit at Save-on-Foods earlier this summer.
The team has also raised thousands from people and businesses across the Fraser Valley.
Even the smallest communities reach out, too.
"When we ride into Boston Bar, the whole community comes out and puts on a potluck lunch for us," she said.
"It's really cool and the food is really, really good."
Since its inception 15 years ago, the Canadian Cancer Society's Cop for Cancer campaign has raised more than $27 million for childhood cancer research and support programs.
But there are other benefits too, notes Day.
"It helps portray police and law enforcement officers in a different light," she said.
"More than just trying to catch bad guys, we have a commitment to our community as well and a genuine interest in helping children."
- This year's Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley runs Sept. 27 to Oct. 5. For more information about Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley visit www.copsforcancerbc.ca.
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