When 14 tired-but-smiling cyclists rounded Fourth Street West for a quick stop in the shade at the Revelstoke RCMP detachment Thursday afternoon, they had a special guest waiting for them.
Earlier this month, 14-year-old Edith Garratt and mother, Arleigh, made it back to town just in time for Edith's first week of class at Revelstoke Secondary School, following a craniotomy at the BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver to remove a brain tumour.
Thanks to the charitable foundation Cops for Kids, which this September hosts its 25th annual fundraiser cycle across southeastern B.C., the Garratts were able to offset major expenses for food and gas while Edith underwent this essential operation.
"We want to help a family move through that," Kelsey Moore, a Revelstoke-based B.C. natural resource officer and first-time Cops for Kids rider, told Black Press Media Sept. 11. "We're off to meet a couple more families (in town)."
Travelling an impressive 1,000 kilometres in 10 days, the team of a total of 23 RCMP officers and other riders are breaking a sweat raising awareness for children and families coping with illness, disability and traumatic crises. According to Moore, her cohort's stops in communities across the Interior are rallying support for children as young as three and five in need of transplants.
The first B.C. Natural Resource Officer Service member to join police on the Cops for Kids journey, Moore said she "just really wanted to give back to the community." Though an avid biker, she remarked it's her "first time doing multiple 100-kilometre days," and gave a shout-out to her peloton's ride support team and motor home that "keep us full and keep us safe."
"We always love it when the new riders come in," Cpl. Tania Finn of Vernon RCMP said, also noting one of the oldest to ever participate was Gail Harrison, who rode in 2024 at age 70 for her 20th year.
Finn's been helping escort the cyclists on their journey, and explaining that accompanying police work to clear out approaching intersections to ensure a smoother ride for the Cops for Kids athletes.
"We like to just keep them moving so they don't have to stop and brake," she reasoned, adding that riders are required to sign up by January of each year and commit many months of training.
After crossing the Revelstoke Bridge for a second stop in Big Eddy on Thursday, the peloton proceeded westward to reach Three Valley Gap for the night. The final three days of riding now take the group to Kamloops (Friday, Sept. 12), Vernon (Saturday, Sept. 13) and eventually back to Kelowna (Sunday, Sept. 14).
As it happens, the cyclists finish their circuit the same day as Moore's 28th birthday, for which she simply wishes for some sleep.
Cops for Kids has raised some $6.5 million in its 25 years running, and according to event coordinator Courtney King, it nets anywhere between $300,000 and $500,000 annually. By Thursday afternoon, she reported that this year's fundraiser had helped support 282 children and families across southeastern B.C.
"We get requests every single day," King said.
Anyone looking to support Moore's or other riders' fundraising campaigns can visit copsforkids.org/the-ride/the-riders to donate.
