As the 2022 edition of the Cops for Kids Ride wrapped up in Kelowna Sunday, those welcoming them back from their 1,000-kilometre bike journey around the southern interior included a local family who benefited from the program. Brian Blakely presented a $300 check to the organization that helped fund their stay in Vancouver, where his young son Andrew was being treated for cancer. Andrew and his sister raised the money through a bottle. Blakely said the costs associated with living away from home for months at a time are huge. “Having an organization like Cops For Kids come in as well. Without it…you need it. You need that support from the community. And that’s why we’re doing everything we can now. “I’m kind of an advocate. We learned and now we try to pass on our knowledge to everyone else,” he noted. Some of the riders had personal experiences with the services Cops For Kids provides, including Cpl. Ryan Danilowich of the Kelowna RCMP, whose eight-year-old triplets were there to welcome him home. “Our three girls, triplets, were born at 28 weeks. So we were down at Children’s Hospital for about five months. “They were all born prematurely. Our smallest was 600 grams and the other two were 1,000 grams,” explained Cpl. Danilovich. He adds that it’s nice to be able to get back on track and give back. This year’s tour raised more than $375,000. This should be enough money to continue helping families with sick children until 2023. “But we’re seeing a significant increase in our grant requests, just because of the economy and things going on,” said Cops For Kids president, retired RCMP Southeast District Minister. Brent Mundle. “So we’re helping more and more families every year as we go along.” Cops For Kids Charitable Foundation was created in 2001 to raise funds to support children in need in the communities we serve. The ten-day walk is the signature event, but the foundation also organizes various other fundraising events to ensure that grants for children and their families are available throughout the year.
