| About Us |
THE CAUSE Heroes Highway Ride, an annual event that began in June 2009, and is scheduled to return to the road on June 2nd, 2012. The ride was first imagined in the Fall of 2008, while I was standing on a bridge, along with hundreds of other Canadians, while more of our fallen soldiers were being escorted on their last ride home; a solemn journey, along the Highway of Heroes, that has become a grassroots demonstration of public support and grieving for the loss of one of our troops and an acknowledgement of the greater loss suffered by their families. In a sense, a collective group hug, that has become the envy of the world. The statistic regarding our fallen soldiers continues to ascend, an ominous census which unfortunately registers a significant spike every December - a time when families should be joining together in a celebration of our holiday season, not in mourning the loss of another son or daughter. On that day . . . On that bridge, standing among the solemn gathering, I was struck by the thought; what about the troops that are deployed, or the troops that have served their tour, or the soldiers injured during the course of carrying out their duties? Where was the outpouring of support for them? On the surface it appears that, perhaps we have become somewhat complacent about their sacrifices or losses? Regularly, men and women volunteer for the Canadian Forces, knowing full well that they may be deployed to the one of the various hot spots around the world. They leave behind family and friends in order to serve and represent Canada while proudly wearing the Maple Leaf on their sleeves and in their hearts. Heroes Highway Ride & Rally Association under the direction of myself and Graeme Hume, we have organized not only a ride, but an event to pay tribute to our Canadian Forces both past and present. We believe that many Canadians feel as we do, and will take this opportunity to join us in this sincere expression of gratitude to our troops for their commitment, perseverance, compassion and courage. It is our goal to host an event that welcomes participation by any like-minded individuals and, more importantly, that participation is FREE. It is our philosophy that respect should not carry a price, as the freedom to participate has already been paid by the blood, sweat and lives or that supporters pay a registration fee to demonstrate gratitude for these brave Canadians. Also, and of equal importance, is our desire to seek support for the WoundedWarriors.ca, a charity that directly assists soldiers injured during military operations and the Tony Stacey Centre for Veterans Care. Ride participants are encouraged to place a donation in our collection bucket, located at the registration table, with all donations presented to the woundedwarriors.ca and the Tony Stacey Centre for Veterans Care following the ride. We also extend an open invitation to other military based charities to join our event so that they may also realize an opportunity to raise funds. Lou DeVuono BALDING EAGLES JFSNG |
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