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Competition between Campbell River and Courtenay-Comox RCMP raises money for retired heroes

Ned’s Wish is the beneficiary of friendly fundraising rivalry
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Police Service Dogs Case and Hammer showed up at the Courtenay-Comox RCMP detachment’s fundraiser barbecue to enjoy the company and the support from the community. RCMP photo

During the busiest months of the year, (June, July, August 2022) officers and staff at the Campbell River and Courtenay-Comox RCMP detachments engaged in a little friendly fundraising competition on their off time.

But, who was the big winner in the competition? Ned’s Wish, an organization dedicated to preserving and enhancing the quality of life for retired Police and Military Service Dogs across Canada. The charity was near and dear to many police and members of the community after the tragic in-service death of Police Service Dog Gator in July 2021, Campbell River RCMP reported.

Local youth, Emery, Hadley and Rory, assisted by selling freezies and Pokemon buttons roadside in Campbell River and in a few short hours raised $75.

A young lady named Anna designed and created several items for purchase, including paracord bracelets, driftwood magnets, beaded bracelets, healthy dog treats and dog collars. Anna set up a table and sold her items while camping at a local campground and sold out quickly, raising $502.

Friends of Anna’s, Maisie, Charlize, Chloe, Brooklyn, and Lacey also made several craft items for purchase and sold lemonade roadside in their residential areas on a few occasions, raising $155.

A large pickle jar full of dog bones brought in $140 with several persons paying a toll and guessing how many were in the jar; winning not only the jar of dog bones but also a free bay rental at Velocity located at the Campbell River Golf Club and a Ned’s Wish sweatshirt.

A Campbell River business, Smith and Lee Butchers heard about the fundraiser and jumped on board, creating a display of bones for customers to guess the weight by donation and winner to receive a meat package, $230 was raised.

Const. Kelsey Marsden, a member of the Campbell River Detachment, put together a basket of items donated by Hudson’s Bay Company, Roko Dog Wear and Ber Bites Dog Treats. Tickets were sold, totalling $268 and a random draw took place to announce the winner.

Another Campbell River business, Fitness etc., also contributed by asking customers if they wished to donate by rounding up their purchases which reached $425.

Mary Davidson a local Epicure/Tupperware advocate welcomed the opportunity to help and indicated 100 per cent of the profit made through sales would be contributed, totalling $130.

A 50/50 board was created and all squares were sold by Cpl. Krista Wallis. The winner, Erika Leigh Haley of Remax Campbell River won and graciously donated back her winnings, which raised $1,000. On top of this Remax Employees came together and generously donated an additional $1465.

Facility Services Employees, Ken Enns and Larry Head served up a delicious BBQ meal of locally caught salmon and a variety of salads with the assistance of Sea J Charters Ltd., and Save on Foods. With a $5 minimum donation/meal, they quickly sold out and $540 was raised.

Courtenay-Comox detachment held a BBQ fundraiser that brought together police, fire fighters, paramedics, and more.

“It was a lovely show of support for Ned’s Wish,” said detachment spokesperson Const. Monika Terragni. “Police Service Dogs Case and Hammer showed up to enjoy the company and the support from the community and we even had help putting everything away at the end of it all.”

Campbell River Detachment ended things off on a slightly smelly high after collecting bottles and cans for a month and half. Officers and staff volunteered their time to sort through the musty recycling on a sweltering hot day which ended up raising $1,755.

An additional $100 was donated by various persons who wished to remain anonymous.

As a result of everyone’s efforts, a combined total of $7,665 was raised and forwarded to Ned’s Wish.

“We couldn’t be more astounded and humbled by the support from our communities for this very worthy cause,” said Const. Maury Tyre. “It is a testament to the amazing work that our dogs and their handlers do in our area that the people in the communities they serve wish to support the dogs as well. The dogs very much become members of the communities themselves and are dearly missed when they retire or are lost in the line of duty. On behalf of the Campbell River RCMP, we would very much like to thank everyone that supported Ned’s Wish with their fundraising efforts and support.”

For more information on Ned’s Wish, check out their website at: https://nedswish.com

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