The sixth annual BC Boomer’s Bike Ride, a two-day fundraising event with 100 participating cyclists, is scheduled to start this Friday at 8 a.m. at the main gate of CFB Comox.
Cyclists will stay overnight at the Brigadier D.R. Sergeant Armoury in Nanaimo and will finish at approximately 5 p.m. on Saturday at the legislative grounds in Victoria.
The scenic 240-km trip along the beautiful coast of Vancouver Island, is an emotional journey of honour, awareness and remembrance for the 100 cyclists.
Each participant has made a commitment to raise a minimum of $300 for Boomer’s Legacy humanitarian projects at home and abroad — with a goal of raising $40,000 collectively at this year’s BC Ride. The cyclists, escorted by volunteer RCMP officers, will commemorate the sacrifice of Canadian Forces fallen soldiers with photos and bios of soldiers on their bicycles.
The event will kick off Friday at 8:45 a.m. with an opening ceremony at the Courtenay Civic Cemetery, with all Comox Valley local governments represented. A welcoming ceremony in Victoria at the end of the ride will be presided over by Rear Admiral Truelove of Maritime Force Pacific/Joint Task Force Pacific.
A moving Ceremony for Fallen Soldiers will take place at the Lieut.-Gen. Ashton Armoury on Saturday at 8 p.m. in Victoria, attended by the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, the Honourable Judith Guichon.
Boomer’s Legacy Foundation is a 100-per-cent Canadian charitable organization created in 2006. The catalyst for its beginning was the death of Cpl. Andrew (Boomer) Eykelenboom, son of Maureen Eykelenboom, who was killed in action, in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan in August 2006.
In Boomer’s honour, the goal of Boomer’s Legacy is to empower all deployed Canadian Forces soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen with raised and donated funds, thus helping them to help others and provide much-needed humanitarian assistance to people wherever and whenever Canadian Forces members are deployed.
Since 2006, over $830,000 has been raised by Boomer’s Legacy for the Boomer’s Trust Fund. The funds raised have made a significant humanitarian impact.
Projects to date include the provision of medical care for the impoverished, life-saving surgeries for children, clothing and shoes for orphaned children, funding of a midwife program, purchasing school supplies, and supporting a Women and Children’s Centre, in countries including, but not limited to, Afghanistan, Jamaica and Kosovo.
The main fundraising events for Boomer’s Legacy are the annual Boomer’s Rides, in B.C., Nova Scotia, and for the first time this year, Ontario and Alberta.
The rides pay homage to our fallen Canadian Forces members, and are extremely important in bringing together individuals, both serving and outside the CF, to honour, support, and remember the sacrifices and humanitarian work of our soldiers.
To learn more about Boomer’s Legacy, visit www.boomerslegacy.ca.
— Boomer's Bike Ride