The Drumheller Valley sees hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, all with different stories or motivations. For Dayne Campbell, it is his dedication to a cause and to his family.
Campbell is a Sergeant in the Vancouver Police Department, and for many years, he showed his support for Cops for Cancer. In fact, in 2013, he rode in his 15th consecutive ride.
“I have done a 1,000-kilometre tour for 15 years in a row, and last year I hung up the helmet, I got a signed jersey from the team, and I was going to move into a more steering committee position, and my own daughter, a month later, got cancer,” explained Campbell. “Things quickly changed as cancer does with people.”
His teenage daughter, who is an avid gymnast, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called myxoid liposarcoma.
With blessings from his family, he put the helmet back on, and this time, rather than a 1,000-kilometre tour, he is taking on an over 7,000-kilometre tour across the county to raise funds and awareness.
“I want to get the word out to help more kids going through a journey with cancer,” he said.
Last Wednesday, members of the local RCMP detachment provided Campbell with a police escort into the valley and then showed him off the next morning.
He has a goal of raising $40,000, and the funds will go towards kids’ programs, including a Western Canada camp where they send upwards of 500 kids, who are going through a journey with cancer. The other is pediatric cancer research. So far, he has raised over $32,000 and counting.
“They are two very important things… that are near and dear to our heart, and Cops for Cancer over the last 25-plus years has raised over $50 million.
On top of a monetary goal, he wishes to spread awareness of the program and what it supports.
“One of the main reasons I am doing this is Cops for Cancer is big in Western Canada, but as you go east across Canada, a lot of municipalities and local police departments are not aware, or it hasn’t expanded out east to Eastern Canada. As I go, the Canadian Cancer Society folks, with the help of our media departments and a lot of friends and family are putting the word out to different detachments as I go,” he said.
His stop in Drumheller was by design, as it has always been a place he wished to visit.
“There are definitely a lot more direct routes to get across Canada on a bicycle but wanted to see and explore a lot of the things Canada has to offer, and Drumheller is definitely one of these,” said Campbell.
He usually averages about 100- 150 kilometres a day, but one of his longest stretches was in the area of 250 km as he explored the Kootenays.
To follow his journey or to donate, search Dayne’s Journey across Canada.
