Final Countdown
Saturday September 8, 2018
by Julio Krenz, Ride Captain
6 days until the start of the 2018 Cops for Kids Ride, and already what a thrill it’s been. 2018 has already proven to be a very special year for Cops for Kids, with hosting the RCMP Musical Ride August 9th, and now we’re preparing to hit the road with the largest ride team we’ve ever had. Interest from riders wanting to participate in the 2018 Cops for Kids Ride started the day after we returned in 2017 with emails from riders wanting to join our team. With that in mind, we put out the official call for riders within South East District in the New Year and now we’ll ride with 30 full time riders, and 7 part time riders over the 10 days. There will be a day that with our support crew, we’ll be a team of 40 people.
This is a true testament from the RCMP members and policing partners who want to make a difference in the community where they live and serve, but it’s also meant that our gracious hosts of meals & accommodations have followed suit with their generosity to feed & house such a large team. We are so excited, honored and grateful for all of the people who make this ride possible.
Over 10 days, the team will cover 1,000km of the mountainous South Eastern portion of British Columbia. September can offer weather of all four seasons, so at times we may need to rely on their enthusiasm and understanding to pedal mile after mile. Rewards will come when we arrive into each community where we’ll have the opportunity to meet with supporters, dignitaries and over 50 families that have benefitted from Cops for Kids funding. These interactions are the driving force for our ride team to pedal each day, knowing that their journey is minor in comparison to those of the children we will meet.
The riders have all collected a minimum of $2,000 in order to participate in the ride but will continue to collect funds until the end of the year. Please consider supporting the riders with a pledge online.
Here is your 2018 Cops for Kids Ride Team
John BAUER, Kelowna A/Cst.
Christine BANFORD, Kamloops CBSA
Cst. Krista BOUDREAU, Enderby RCMP
Cst. Dan CARSON, Kelowna RCMP
Rob CROWDER, Nelson BC Sheriffs Service
Cst. Andrew DEANE, Osoyoos Federal Serious Organized Crime
Cpl. Dirk FINKENSIEP, Comox Valley RCMP
Grant FLETCHER, Cops for Kids President
Cpl. Derrick FRANCIS, Merritt RCMP
Cst. Rob GARDNER, Stewart RCMP
Cst. Ron GEORGE, Castlegar RCMP
S/Sgt. Kurt GRABINSKY, Revelstoke RCMP
S/Sgt. Michel GRONDN, Kamloops RCMP
Marc GRUBER, Joe Rich Fire Department
Cst. Eva HARDING, Trail RCMP
Gail HARRISON, Cops for Kids Grant Coordinator
Dr. David HATTON, Guest
Roxanne JOHNSON, Nelson RCMP
Mike KOSOF, Nelson BC Sheriffs Service
Retired Cst. Bill LONG, Nelson RCMP
Garnet LLOYD, Guest
Cst. Andrew MCCABE, Nelson RCMP
Cst. Macklin MCCALL, Kelowna RCMP
Denise MCMAHON, Vernon RCMP
Dr. Darcy MARCH, Kelowna A/Cst.
Dr. Alan MILNES, Guest
Cpl. James MOORE, Revelstoke RCMP
Cst. Mike MURRAY, Cranbrook RCMP
Sgt. Carmen PENNEY, West Kelowna RCMP
Cst. Jon PUTERBOUGH, Merritt RCMP
Tim SCHROEDER, force chaplain
Cst. Carl STENE, Kelowna RCMP
Cst. Sukhdeep TOOR, Kamloops RCMP
Cst. Claudia WYTRWAL, South East District RCMP
There’s also a team that supports the cyclists on their route. These are the people behind the scenes steering the ship, keeping the cyclists safe, comfortable and prepared.
Our 2018 Support Crew:
Motorcycle – Cpl. Gevan DALE, Kelowna RCMP
Police Car – Cpl. Jesse O’DONAGHEY, Kelowna RCMP
Motorhome –Ken GEORGESON
Bus Drive – Allen BURKE
Event Coordinator – Courtney KING
Ride Captain – retired S/Sgt. Major Julio KRENZ
We thank you, our supporters for following along on our journey. This blog will be updated each night by the riders to recap each day, and photos will be posted to both Instagram and Facebook if you follow along on those channels.
Sincerely,
Julio Krenz,
Ride Captain