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VIDEO: Tour De Rock pedals through the Comox Valley - special event at Aspen Park School

Nine-year-old has her head shaved in support of a friend

The Cops for Cancer Tour De Rock made its Comox Valley appearance Thursday, Sept. 23, and Aspen Park Elementary School was among the stops.

Aspen Park Grade 5 student Molly Picard took part in the celebrations in a particularly brave fashion for a nine-year-old girl: she had her head shaved!

“My friend, Abby, had cancer, and she was really brave through it, so I just wanted to do this for her,” said Picard, who added the experience was “nerve-wracking.”

She had plenty of support. The entire crowd was chanting “Go Molly” throughout the whole ordeal.

“That felt really good,” Picard said of the vocal support.

She said she will be donating her hair to a ‘wigs for cancer’ program.

Mom, Sarah, took part in the event as well. She was the barber.

“This was a first for me,” she said. “I couldn’t be more proud of her. She has a big heart, this kid.”

Picard has created her own Tour de Rock fundraising page, and as of Thursday afternoons, she’d raised more than $3,700.

“I hope to make (an) impactful donation to help fund life-saving research that will help children across the Country living with cancer,” she says on her page.

To contribute to her campaign, go to https://bit.ly/3i28hCu

Aspen Park principal Lisa Scheck, who was reluctant to be interviewed (“it’s not about me; it’s about the kids; it’s about Molly”) said she takes special pride in the Tour De Rock fundraising.

“This is the one for me - the really important one for me is Tour de Rock,” she said. “We are so lucky. We have fantastic kids here, fantastic students, a fantastic staff, and they are all so supportive of each other. As a principal, I am very proud.”

The Tour also made stops at Miracle Beach, Oyster Bay Fire & Ian Emery, Valley View Elementary, Aspen Peninsula Co-Op, Comox Monarch Lions, Thrifty Foods, Courtenay Fire Department, and The Eagle Radio Station, picking up donations along the way.

The Tour De Rock continues Friday, Spet. 24 for its Parksville/Qualicum, Port Alberni/Tofino leg, before heading to Nanaimo on Sunday. From there, the tour continues south, making stops at communities along the way. It wraps up Friday, Oct. 1, in Victoria.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Tour De Rock is a “community team” event, with community-based TDR alumni teams riding different legs of the tour.

ALSO: Tour de Rock embraces community teams for annual Vancouver Island cancer fundraiser


terry.farrell@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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Terry Farrell

About the Author: Terry Farrell

Terry returned to Black Press in 2014, after seven years at a daily publication in Alberta. He brings 14 years of editorial experience to Comox Valley Record...
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