The annual Cops For Kids Ride passed through Osoyoos on Sept. 6 to 7. (Vanessa Broadbent / Osoyoos Times)

By Vanessa Broadbent

Osoyoos Times

Local RCMP officers are once again hitting the road to raise funds for kids in medical crisis.

The annual Cops For Kids Ride stopped in Osoyoos overnight Sept. 6 to 7 where the Osoyoos Elks hosted the officers for breakfast and dinner.

The bike ride loops east to Cranbrook, north to Golden, and back to Kamloops and Kelowna. Spanning ten days, riders travel about 100 kilometres each day.

This year was the second that Const. Jared Zeeman with federal policing based in Osoyoos has participated in the ride.

“It’s a pretty big commitment training wise,” he said. “Having kids at home, my wife provides a lot of support. I have a lot of support from family but it’s a lot of time spent training.”

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Funds raised by the riders go directly back into the communities they pass through. The money goes to families of kids in traumatic and medical crisis, and helps cover things like gas, food and hotel costs for families needing to travel for treatment.

“People are dealing with all this stuff and they don’t have time for some of the simple things we take for granted,” Zeeman said.

“I think about if one if my kids was sick my wife would probably not be working and be there and I would be trying to keep the household going – it’s a lot of strain.”

Along the route, the RCMP officers meet kids and families who are supported by the ride.

It’s directly seeing where the money goes that keeps Zeeman coming back.

“At first I joined, I thought it would be a good challenge, something to get in shape for, but when you actually meet all the families out on the ride it’s pretty overwhelming.”

The ride ends in Kelowna on Sept. 15 and donations can be made at copsforkids.org.

This year was the second that Const. Jared Zeeman participated in the Cops For Kids Ride. (Vanessa Broadbent / Osoyoos Times)

The annual Cops For Kids Ride passed through Osoyoos on Sept. 6 to 7. (Vanessa Broadbent / Osoyoos Times)