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Last Boomer’s Legacy ride starts Saturday in Comox

The 10th and final Boomer’s Legacy BC Bike Ride happens this weekend.
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The 10th and final Boomer’s Legacy BC Bike Ride happens this weekend.

The ride starts June 10 at 8 a.m. from 19 Wing Comox and winds up in Victoria at the provincial parliament buildings the next day.

There’s a stop along the way at the Courtenay Civic Cemetery where Cpl. Andrew “Boomer” Eykelenboom is buried.

The Comox Valley resident died Aug. 11, 2006 while serving as a medic in Afghanistan.

The annual bike ride and other events have raised over $1 million.

The foundation is now a fund under the Support Our Troops Program, an entity of Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS).

The goal of Boomer’s Legacy is to empower Canadian Forces soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen with the ability to carry on Andrew’s strongly felt desire to provide much needed humanitarian assistance to people in areas of deployed Canadian operations.

All charitable funds from Boomer’s Legacy go to its operational partner, Boomer’s Trust Fund, managed by the CFMWS.

Maureen Eykelenboom, founder of Boomer’s Legacy, explains: “Each cyclist carries the biography of a fallen soldier on their two-day journey, and the ride concludes with a ceremony to honour the service of all Canadian Armed Forces members who have fallen since 2001. Many of the participants have provided humanitarian assistance at home or abroad, or are family members of fallen soldiers.”

Canadian Armed Forces personnel who are serving on Vancouver Island have received Boomer’s Legacy funds to assist with projects at home. Recipients include the Vancouver Island Compassion Dogs, Rainbow Kitchen in Esquimalt, the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society, the Comox Valley Family Services Association, and the Comox Valley Sonshine Club soup kitchen.

One hundred riders will take part in the 10th anniversary ride, including a smaller contingent of 20 riders who are embarking on a self-supported ride from Port Hardy to Comox in the days leading up to the official ride. To learn more: boomerslegacybc.ca.