July 28, 2015

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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Nanaimo News Bulletin W1

Co ps for Cancer Tour de Rock TourdeRock.ca • Sept 19 – Oct 2, 2015

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Nanaimo News Bulletin Tuesday, July 28, 2015

What is the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock?

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Volunteers lead the charge on Vancouver Island

he simplest answer is that it’s a two-week bicycle journey in which a team of police officers ride more than 1,000 kilometres from the north end of Vancouver Island to the south, raising money to fight childhood cancer.

Since 1998, Tour de Rock has raised TOUR DE ROCK COULDN’T more than $20 million for the Canadian SUCCEED WITHOUT Cancer Society, which uses the money to fund pediatric cancer research and SELFLESS SUPPORTERS programs.

WHO FIGHT FOR THE KIDS The story goes back to 1994, when a group of Edmonton police officers shaved If you’ve ever attended one of the their heads in support of a boy who had lost Tour de Rock community stops over the his hair to chemotherapy. By 1997, the Cops past 17 years, odds are you’ve heard for Cancer head shaves had reached Victoria. the Dempseys; they are (after the The local police wanted to try something kids) often the ones cheering the bigger. A brainstorming session between the loudest! cops and the Canadian Cancer Society led to the Debi and Tom Dempsey, better suggestion of a bike ride the length of the Island. known as “Tour mom and dad”, And the rest is history. are longtime volunteers who have A new team is picked every year. This year’s been involved with the Tour team is made up of 20 police officers and one de Rock since the beginning. member of the media. The sacrifices demanded of Some years they go on the the riders and their families over the seven months of road with the team for the their Tour experience – three days a week of training whole two weeks, other and fundraising on top of that – cannot be stressed years they take multiple enough. What is harder to prepare for is the emotional day trips up-Island from side of the journey. The riders are paired with junior team Victoria to cheer the members, children with a history of cancer. Some of these team on. But for 17 children continue to deal with the often-debilitating effects of years straight, they cancer treatment even while participating in Tour events. Their have volunteered stories are both troubling and inspiring for the riders. to support the The good news for these children and their families is that we Tour. are heading in the right direction. Childhood cancer survival rates are rising (since Tour de Rock’s inception the five-year survival rate has increased 11% to 83%), and treatments are less invasive and have fewer side effects now. There is a direct link between these advances and the efforts of the people of Vancouver Island who, since 1998, have embraced this cause as their own.

“Volunteering for Tom and I is important; being part of our community is important, and this is something that has allowed us to do that,” Debi says. “It’s a bit of a selfish thing, too, because we’ve gotten so much out of our time through Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock; the friends we’ve met, the other volunteers, the kids and families, the amazing communities we’ve been exposed to – it’s just absolutely amazing the opportunities that we’ve had and the sense of community that we’ve seen on Vancouver

“

It’s like being embraced by a warm hug in every community we go into. ”

Island since the first year.”

The Dempseys are two of countless volunteers who support the Tour de Rock each year. From event organizers all the way from Port Hardy to Victoria, to the riders and support crew who will hit the road in midSeptember, Tour de Rock couldn’t happen without the volunteers who step up for a truly worthy cause.

“We know that the moment the Tour de Rock team says goodbye to a community, there are people there who get to work, saying, ‘OK, how do we top that next year?’” says the Canadian Cancer Society’s Jan Buehler. “It’s humbling knowing there are

volunteers who care so deeply about what Tour de Rock does and what it means to Vancouver Island kids that they’re working to fundraise year-round. The amount of people who volunteer their time in all kinds of ways to support the team and support kids battling cancer means the world to us.”

Debi says she and Tom have seen firsthand how Tour de Rock has evolved over the years, all thanks to those volunteers in every community who care.

“That first year, people didn’t know what it was and they didn’t know how to respond to it. So what really stands out for us is how people in the communities have really embraced it. You get supporters and volunteers doing so much now to support it any way they can,” Debi says.

Apart from the bond that connects all Tour supporters – a unified fight against a terrible disease – there’s an even greater connection that has developed between volunteers over the years.

“We get to meet a lot of great volunteers in the communities. So every year, as those relationships developed, it would be like a family visit once a year; we’d pull into those communities and you look for those familiar faces,” she says. “I just think Vancouver Island communities are amazing. It’s like being embraced by a warm hug in every community we go into. These volunteers and supporters, they give of themselves for others who are in need. There’s just nothing like it.”

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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Nanaimo News Bulletin W3

Events Calendar UPCOMING TOUR DE ROCK FUNDRAISING EVENTS SOUTH ISLAND

Greater Victoria Bottle Drive August & September at Bottle Depot Locations Take all your bottles to your local Bottle Depot’s donation bin! All funds support Tour de Rock. Visit bottledepot.ca for locations.

Garage Sale & BBQ at West Shore RCMP Saturday, August 8 • 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Head out to the West Shore RCMP Parking Lot, 698 Atkins Avenue, for the garage sale of the century!

Haircuts #forthekids at Brothers Barbershop Sunday, August 9 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Come down to Brothers Barbershop at 770 Fort Street – get a fresh look and support Tour de Rock!

MID ISLAND

Community support helps Tour de Rock thrive ISLANDERS SHOW STRENGTH IN HELPING TO FIGHT CANCER, DESPITE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

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he 30-kilometre drive from the Island Highway to Port Alice is quite memorable, as the road weaves its way through lush forest down into the small, scenic community. The 30-kilometre bike ride back out is memorable for very different reasons (the least of which is the tough uphill climb).

The Village of Port Alice, the starting point for the two-week Tour de Rock fundraising ride, has a population of roughly 800 people. And it seems as if every single one of them greets the team with wide open arms and warm hospitality every year.

It’s the perfect start to the ride that sees stops in 27 communities – big and small – on Vancouver Island.

“The people here are very giving,” says Yvonne Spafford, a longtime resident of Port Alice who has volunteered to help organize the annual Tour de Rock event there for more than a decade.“Very giving” is an understatement, especially when you consider what’s going on in that community.

There have been years when the pulp mill, the village’s lifeblood, has been closed for months by the time the Tour de Rock rolls in. The mill employs nearly a quarter of Port Alice residents, so its closure has the potential to devastate everybody living in the small town.

But what’s special about this tight-knit community, and many others that the Tour de Rock visits each year, is no matter what’s happening in the local economy, people still come out in droves to donate money.

“I think we really gravitate towards (Tour de Rock) because being in a small town you know everybody, and everybody’s been touched by cancer or known somebody with cancer or has had cancer. In a small town like this, you hear more about

it; when you know everybody, you know what’s going on,” Spafford says. “It’s a very giving town. If someone’s sick, you get a barbecue going and everybody’s down there. Tour de Rock, because it’s a function to raise money to help children with cancer, people are willing to donate whatever they can because they want to help.”

Port Alice is just one example. There are many amazing communities on the Island that step up like this and make a meaningful difference in the lives of children living with cancer.

“We get to visit a lot of incredible communities over these two weeks, and we meet so many people who, it doesn’t matter what their economic situation is like today or if the largest employer in their community is shut down, they still want to do what they can to help,” says Dan Mayo, chair of the Tour de Rock steering committee. “It leaves us speechless, truly. The selflessness of the people of Vancouver Island who want to end childhood cancer is the reason why Tour de Rock is a success.”

The pulp mill in Port Alice curtailed operations in February, and is expected to reopen in August. Despite this, as they’ve done in years past, area residents are still busy planning a memorable fundraising dinner and they will still do what they can to support the cause.

And come the morning of Sept. 20, as the 2015 Tour de Rock riders begin their journey by pedalling out of Port Alice, their minds will be on the hospitality and support they received there, knowing it is just the first taste of unforgettable hospitality that’s to come in every other Vancouver Island community, too.

Red Arrow Brewing Fundraising BBQ in Duncan Thursday, August 13 • 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Taste some amazing local new brews, enjoy some BBQ and help raise funds for kids fighting cancer. Info: Matt at matt@juicefm.ca.

Join the Team at Just Jakes in Duncan Sunday, August 16 • 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Cheer the Tour de Rock team on as they arrive at Just Jakes Restaurant the day of their Mock Tour! Then, join the team for a BBQ lunch. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Just Jakes, 45 Craig Street. Limited tickets available.

Cops for Cancer Show’n Shine in Qualicum Saturday, August 29, gates open at 8 a.m.

Join us at the Qualicum Beach Golf Club for the 2015 Show’n Shine! Enjoy breakfast or lunch at Thalassa Restaurant. Car entry $15. Public entry by donation.

Info: Clay at 250.752.9615 or lorrclay@shaw.ca.

NORTH ISLAND

6th Annual Sayward Fishing Derby Saturday, August 22 & Sunday, August 23

Test your lines in the Johnstone Strait and see who can pull in the biggest catch! Info: Sandy Sanderson at s.sanders@telus.net.

Cups for Cancer Barrel Race in Comox Valley Saturday, August 29 & Sunday, August 30 at 10 a.m.

At the Comox Valley Fair Grounds riders of all ages and skill levels can compete for great prizes while supporting a great cause. Fun for everyone! Entry fee $10, plus $5 administration. Info or to pre-register: Kandi Woods at 250.923.3941.

To see a complete listing of all upcoming Tour de Rock fundraising events, please visit TourdeRock.ca/Upcoming-Events

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Nanaimo News Bulletin Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Thank you to our 2015 Tour de Rock Sponsors TOUR SPONSOR

PARTNER SPONSOR

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Stay healthy this summer

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he sad reality is the vast majority of childhood cancers are not preventable. That’s why the Tour de Rock strongly supports cancer research so that one day we will be able to diagnose and treat even earlier, and perhaps even pre-empt.

Some cancers, however, are preventable. With Vancouver Island going through a long stretch of hot, sunny weather, it’s a good time to remind you that there are simple ways to minimize your risk of developing skin cancer from sun exposure.

Here are four tips to help you and your family stay sun safe:

1 COVER UP

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Trek Bicycle Store MEDIA SPONSORS

Wear loose-fitting and lightweight long-sleeved clothes that you’re comfortable in through the summer. The more skin that’s covered, the better. Wearing a hat with a wide brim is the simplest way to protect your skin, especially since many skin cancers happen on the face and neck.

2 FIND SHADE AND LIMIT TIME IN DIRECT SUN

Plan your outdoor activities before 11 a.m. or after 4 p.m., when the sun is not at its strongest, or any time of the day when the UV Index is 2 or less. Most people will naturally seek out shade to cool off from the summer sun, but it’s also a great prevention method. Find natural shade or create your own with an umbrella.

3 USE SUNSCREEN PROPERLY

Find a sunscreen that offers both UVA and UVB protection that has an SPF of 15 or higher (use SPF 30 if you’re going to be outside most of the day). Twenty minutes before you go outside, apply a generous amount of sunscreen to clean, dry skin (any parts that are going to be exposed to sun: feet, ears and bald spots, too!). Reapply throughout the day.

4 PROTECT CHILDREN

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SILVER SPONSORS

Accent Inns • Inn on Long Lake • U-Haul Canadian Princess Resort • Painter’s Lodge • The Westerly Hotel & Convention Centre BRONZE SPONSORS

Atomic Crayon • Best Western Plus Barclay • Black Bear Resort • CREST Island Rehabilitation in Motion • Quality Resort Bayside • Triangle RV • Victoria Mobile Radio COMMUNITY SPONSORS

Artbox • BC Ferry Services • Tim Hortons (Ladysmith & Parksville) Printing and distribution of Tour de Rock feature generously sponsored by:

Children are especially vulnerable to the sun’s UV rays and need to be protected when outdoors. A bad or blistering sunburn before the age of 18 increases a child’s risk of developing skin cancer later in life.

Support Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock To get involved, contact: Katie Crowe, Tour de Rock Coordinator kcrowe@bc.cancer.ca | 250.592.2244

Donate Now

& learn about the 2015 team at TourdeRock.ca facebook.com/ CopsTourdeRock

@TourdeRock and mention #forthekids