A retired veteran is trying to make a difference in children’s lives and needs the support of everyday Canadians across this country to do it.
Art Brochu, 70, made his way through Davidson last Wednesday afternoon while on his “Art Cycles Canada for Wishes” bike tour from Port Hardy, British Columbia, to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Brochu is cycling across the country in an attempt to try and raise $100,000 for The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada.
“All those years in the military and all those years out of country watching kids suffer and be abused…breaks my heart,” said Brochu, who spent his career with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. “I always wanted to do something to pay back for what we couldn’t do back then. This is my opportunity to raise money for The Children’s Wish and hopefully if we can get a wish in every province that would be fantastic.”
Brochu first got the idea to try and raise funds for Children’s Wish while competing at a golf tournament where he met a young adult named Alex who was diagnosed with Osteochondroma, which is a benign tumor of the bones. Alex, who is an avid bag pipe player, had a wish granted to visit Vimy Ridge in France to play the bag pipes in tribute to his great-grandfather and the other countless men and women who lost their lives in the First World War battle.
“Alex still has a lot of operations to go through, but he’s tough and cheerful and he’s so thankful he got to do what he did,” said Brochu. “I’ve always been a strong believer that if you can think positive or take your mind off the illness and the treatment and the medications they have an opportunity to work better and that’s what the wish does.”
To prepare for the scheduled 9,106 kilometre trek over the course of 75 days this summer, Brochu began training two years ago with 2004 Canadian Olympic gold medalist Lori-Ann Muenzer. He has also been trying to put into practise the many tips received from fellow cyclists on what to do when participating in a long-distance bike tour.
Brochu said the trip would bring him through 10 Canadian provinces with a goal of raising $10,000 in each to be put towards a wish for a child in each province he visits. He said some money was raised before he left B.C. and he is now counting on the people he meets on his journey and the corporations that hear about his quest to help him reach the target.
To read more please see the June 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.