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McCreesh getting ready for Cops for Cancer Tour de North

Jail and Bail will take place Aug. 31
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Last year’s Cops for Cancer Tour de North rolled through Smithers. This year riders will cycle from Dawson Creek to Williams Lake.

Enthusiasm might often be an exaggerated word but not in the case of Constable Jennifer McCreesh of the Smithers RCMP detachment — especially when it comes to her commitment to the upcoming Cops for Cancer fundraising bicycle ride.

For this year’s installment of the annual bike trek, McCreesh is like a youngster looking forward to Christmas. Her eyes shined and she had a hard time keeping to her chair as she described the event and some of the extra fundraisers that will go along with it.

Cops for Cancer has been around since 1994 and across the country has raised more than $50 million. In addition to law enforcement officials, personnel from other emergency services join them to ride their bicycles along predetermined routes.

Cops for Cancer in B.C. has four rides with McCreesh participating in the Tour de North, an ambitious seven-day (Sept. 12-18), more than 850 kilometre trek over mountainous highway conditions from Dawson Creek to Williams Lake.

“I have participated in the ride for five consecutive years. It’s approximately 1,000 kilometres that we ride together in the peloton. [But] there are also the hundreds and thousands of kilometres that we put on our bikes and our bodies as we’re getting ready for the ride,” she said.

The enthusiasm for the ride itself aside, McCreesh is excited to be a part of the fundraising effort.

“It’s hard to find anyone who’s life hasn’t been touched by cancer whether it’s themselves of a relative or a friend. For this particular ride it’s for pediatric cancer research and for Camp Goodtimes,” she said.

Camp Goodtimes is a special camp in Maple Ridge, which is specifically-designed to accommodate youth who have had to deal with cancer.

“The most amazing part of the camp is that it is staffed by people who have cancer or who have gone through it. They have nurses and doctors on staff. Everybody is in the same boat and they don’t have to worry about being sick. They can do all the things that kids do at summer camp but they can also get their treatments,” she said.

McCreesh said her enthusiasm for the program came when she got to go and see it.

“All I have to do is pedal a bike. When it comes time to see where those efforts go, it’s pretty spectacular,” she said.

McCreesh said some of the additional fundraising events have included complete head shaves in support of the youngsters who are undergoing cancer therapy. This year, there will be a local Jail and Bail fundraiser where people volunteer to be “arrested”. These volunteers go before a “judge” where “bail” is set. The “jailbird” is then “incarcerated” and must then raise the bail before they are released.

The Smithers Jail and Bail is planned for Aug. 31 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In addition to McCreesh, local Registered Massage Therapist Caelum Ellis will be participating and no doubt providing much needed therapy to some very worn out riders.