Fifty-six firefighters from Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland stopped in Belleville on Thursday as part of their memorial ride from Hamilton to Ottawa for the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
While having lunch at the fire service headquarters, the Foundation received a $1,000 donation from Belleville Fire and Emergency Services.
“The Foundation helps pay for the transportation to get them there, their lodging for the weekend, that sort of thing. It also helps to take care of the memorial as well, as they have a bursary scholarship program for children of the members that have died in the line of duty. And they also have a camp called Camp Faces, which is like a grieving camp, it’s up near Peterborough, that families can go to and get some help during their time.”
“Feel gratitude from them but when you’re at the memorial and we all go marching in and we see them there and you see the grieving process that they’re going through then you see the appreciation that they have when they see us all there. The grieving changes to appreciation and so it’s all worth it.”
The group is scheduled to arrive in Ottawa Friday afternoon with the memorial ceremony to be held Sunday – a virtual one this year due to COVID.
This is the fifth year for the three-day, 550 km ride.
56 Firefighters from Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland stopped in Belleville, Thursday, September 10, during their memorial ride from Hamilton to Ottawa for the Candian Fallen Firefighters Foundation. They were greeted by Councillor Paul Carr and a donation from Belleville Fire and Emergency Services. (Photo: Quinte News/Alana Cameron)
