How the Fort McMurray Wildfire Changed My Life

Today marks one year ago that I along with two other ladies, drove up to the City of Fort McMurray which had been evacuated. 88,000 people fled their homes. This was a ghost town save for the Firefighters and other first responders.

During that evacuation Deputy Fire Chief Cranley Ryan's daughter and her friend were killed in a horrific vehicle crash. Mercifully, for a city about to loose so much, these two young and promising lives were the only lives lost.

However, every life touched by the Beast, would remain forever changed.

There are numerous documentaries, numerous stories being told.

Mine is just one of many.

Like millions of horrified Canadians, I watched the Beast threaten Fort Mac and force an evacuation of epic proportion on May 3rd, 2016.

On May 4th I heard Fire Chief Darby Allen say his men and women were exhausted and hungry and my heart was called to go feed people.

Lynda Klouth and Jessica Kappel journeyed with me up there, Jessie to stay and fight fires, Lynda left to go and get more supplies and I stayed to feed people.
I am grateful for the journey that took me to Fort McMurray.

It taught me so much about myself and others. In most cases my faith in human nature was restored.

Some of the memories from Fort Mac are painful, like watching a fire fighter trying to look after his swollen and blistered feet, blisters on the soles over an inch think and yet, when his captain called, he jammed his feet back in his boot and off he went...watching men and women who were so exhausted they were trembling, sleeping on the hard ground, the floor - literally dropping out of sheer exhaustion. Being interrogated by the police three times and on Mother's Day of all days...

Some of the memories are sweet, tender and heartwarming like the little girl who recognized fire fighter Jessica Kappel and ran up to her to thank her.  Or the Edmonton Fire Department taking over the cooking of Breakfast on Mother's Day along with Jeremy Hall, making sure all moms and ladies got a special breakfast thanks to the Pine Haven Hutterite Colony and their farm fresh eggs and homemade sausage.  Another sweet moment is when Keltie May Nicole replaced my stolen "Sparky" dog with one out of her team's Fire rig.

Yes the Beast stole a lot in those days, but actually, I think in someways it gave back far more....
It gave me back faith in humanity, in myself and it has changed how I view tragedy.

For those who are interested, see is a list of the articles I wrote - my diary if you will:

Part One:
http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2016/05/my-time-in-fort-mcmurray-part-one.html

Part Two: http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2016/05/my-time-in-fort-mcmurray-part-2.html

Part Three: http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2016/05/my-time-in-fort-mcmurray-part-3.html




Part 4: http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2016/05/my-time-in-fort-mcmurray-part-4.html

Part 5: http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2016/05/my-time-in-fort-mac-part-5-truck-woes.html

Part 6: http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2016/05/my-time-in-fort-mac-part-6-nicole-from.html

Part 7: http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2016/05/my-time-in-fort-mcmurray-part-7-justin.html

Part 8: http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2016/06/my-time-in-fort-mac-part-8-love-letters.html

Glenn Chaulk - Syncrude Fire

Until next time, I am Belt Drive Betty, Editor & Rider and one GRATEFUL human being!

Ride Safe....

Divisive and ill conceived laws and agendas and how they ruin well, everything.

I am normally a very outspoken character. When I found my voice after years of verbal, physical and sexual abuse, I vowed I would use my voice for as much good as I could.

I am someone you either love or hate and there are generally very few who are in the middle of the road on that. I know that, and I accept that.

Part of my job is to make people think.  If they get angry and call me all kinds of obscene names and jump all over every little mistake a person makes like it's some sort of conspiracy, so be it.  If they want to point mistakes out politely and help a person grow as a human being - WONDERFUL. As long as they are engaged and thinking, that's all I care about - I achieved my one and only goal.

Lately, I have been quiet on a lot of very contentious and touchy topics. I know, it's not really like me, right!

Some of the reason for the silence has simply been how busy I find myself these days.  After almost two years of being ill, doing only what absolutely had to be done, I find myself playing catch up in a huge way. I am feeling good these days and enjoying working again, but man oh man the work load makes it tough to balance things or find time to write.  And the fact that I find a 12 hour day is about all I can handle at work, well when you are used to producing for 18 hours a day and get reduced by 1/3 it gets interesting!

March is a very bad month for me. I have so many birthdays for people who are no longer a part of this physical realm that I am emotionally raw and so much of what I say becomes misconstrued because in March I can not effectively communicate my own name much less anything of any import.

April has gone by in a whirl with me filling out copious amounts of paperwork for grants, hiring a new CA because the one I had has done me no favours and left me and my books in a hell of a mess - ah the joys of running a small business - but please note that while I expound on the fact that I face challenges, I am thriving on them again, not dreading them.

Some of the reason for my silence however, has been the nastiness - it seems these days that if your viewpoint is not exactly the same as everyone on a certain side of any issue, you are lower than a snakes belly and unfit to be around.  It's hard to want to focus on the good, but be in this business and in this community. We can't even get along with each other or agree on much more than insurance rates.

In our country of Canada, we have huge political divisions that are tearing at the very fabric of our culture.  Our prime minister seems hell bent on bankrupting our country and leaving a legacy of debt and destruction for generations to come not to mention welcoming in ideologies that do not integrate well with western culture.

We have extreme Islamists attempting to destroy anything that represents freedom and so many hell bent on letting them destroy our country and its freedoms.  Female genital mutilation, the rape culture and many other unsavoury scenarios have played out around the world, yet our prime minister has not learned from those happenings.

If you voice your opinion, you'd best be feeling really strong, be wearing teflon, and not engage in rhetoric that will revert to mudslinging, name calling and other debasements.

Simply state your case and never look back, or be prepared to be skewered by such vehement anger and hatred that you are truly terrified for the future of our world much less our country.

As a PTSD survivor, I have found my own unique ways of dealing with the things that trigger me.  I can control myself so much better now than even a yer ago, but it takes constant effort and awareness.

Islam, Sharia Law, Profiling of Motorcyclists - these things trigger deep responses in me.

Today I am feeling strong and I have a few things to get off my chest.

So here goes nothing....

I am very PRO Blue lives matter.
I have uncles who were RCMP, I know how dangerous the job can be and I know how hard and thankless the job can be. I know it's a job I would not want to do.

I am also very PRO Our Charter of Rights & Freedoms and when the people on the Blue Lives matter side of the board start infringing on the Charter, I get really cranky - why?

Because it's hard to walk that line, to support the cops because they are necessary,  because there are bad people who do bad things in our society, communities and world, and YET, to have those very same people we rely on to solve murders, robberies etc., target the motorcycle community over its clothing the way they do year after year is getting sickening - and it puts one in a quandary, which never feels good.

Right now, there are a number of things transpiring that go against the Charter Rights of ALL Canadians who ride motorcycles and wear brand tee shirts, support clothing, regardless of who that clothing is supporting and it's got to stop.

Divisive and ill conceived laws and agendas ruin everything.

In a country where women can wear Burqa's and conceal their identity, even when voting, how in the H E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS can it be "Immoral or Illegal" to wear ACAB gear (ALL COPS ARE BASTARDS is what some claim that means, but I also know it can mean All Cats Are Brilliant).  Or Support Red & White, Support Green & White - really? What happened to free speech?

In this day and age when you can have piercings and tattoos all over your face and you can wear pants that make you look like you crapped yourself, why is motorcycle apparel so offensive?

I'll tell you why.  Sadly the police and the politicians of this country have an agenda.

The police agenda is to ensure their jobs and careers are safe, their egos are properly primed and their point of view properly pushed.  Public safety is their last priority - budgets and careers folks - that's what it's about these days. Having a bunch of "Bad" boys who ride motorcycles that are visible, makes career security a guarantee.

Politicians have an agenda - to get elected and force you to live by their principles and ideologies, even when they are misinformed.

Our community is under siege in Bathurst, in PEI, in Alberta and really all across this country.

Heavy police presence as bikers meet in Charlottetown: http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/local/2017/1/21/heavy-police-presence-as-bikers-meet-in-charlottetown.html

Bathurst Mayor wants Province to ban biker gangs: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/bathurst-biker-darksiders-hells-angels-fongemie-1.4082623

The police are preventing people who wear ACAB and any support gear from entering the Tim Horton's on 82 St. and why? Because they can under the petty trespass act.

Bars in Calgary force riders to turn their Harley shirts inside out or leave - again the petty trespass act protects these kinds of discriminatory practices.

So what is the big confusion? What is the hullabaloo all about?

IGNORANCE - LACK OF KNOWLEDGE and subterfuge - (the unwillingness of the police departments to disseminate the truth).

People who ride with a Motorcycle Club, a Riding Club, a Motorcycle Ministry, a Veterans Motorcycle Club, in other words people who wear patches, are being unfairly targeted for special attention based on the clothing they wear.

Not their conduct, their clothing.

Now, the police and liquor boards would have you believe that all those who wear three piece motorcycle club colours are criminal or an undesirable element of society and that they (the cops & liquor boards) are trying to protect people from gang violence.

YET - they will not explain to business owners what patches are legal and illegal - wanted or unwanted... Why? Because none of these pieces of clothing is illegal. They just use this subterfuge to make life hard for all of us. They abuse the petty trespass act, I have even heard of bar owners who are threatened with their liquor licenses if they let these articles of clothes be worn on their premises. So...what ends up happening? Innocents get caught in the cross hairs.

I have, over the years written extensively about our patches and what they really mean. I have spoken on the topic until I am sick of it. (Here is one of the articles I have written about how challenging the patch issue is...  http://beltdrivebetty.blogspot.ca/2014/07/a-little-education-on-mc-world.html)

The police will not tell politicians or citizens who is or is not "legal", business owners and event hosts get bullied into complying with the cops and it gets media coverage thanks to the politicians who are spreading mistruths  that end up supporting the cops. And our community looks like a bunch of villains.

It's disgusting but unless we find a lawyer willing to take a challenge to the supreme court, and we have the millions of dollars in funds it is going to take to fight this profiling, and someone to take the lead - we are going to continue to be persecuted.

So get used to it Canada.

WE ARE A VISIBLE MINORITY because we ride and that makes all of us an easy target,
and that my friends is why the police can attack our lifestyle and our fellow riders.

No one will stand up for us it seems - not even us...

What say you?

Our Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community contest is winding down.  Unofficially it looks like Port Alberni BC on Vancouver Island will be the 2016 Season winner!  We'll know once the audit has been done, but that's how it's looking!

For those in the Edmonton Alberta area, the Ride for Mom is kicking off on May 13th at Blackjacks Roadhouse in Nisku AB and Camrose Tourism will be unveiling a HUGE new tourism initiative for motorcyclists that weekend at Blackjacks as well - so come on out and support a great cause and learn all about the new tourism initiative!!!!

Here in Grande Prairie and area - the A.N.A.V.E.T.'s has a few things going on you should know about - read their posters!

Look for me to be writing again, far more consistently!

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Edmonton's Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Community does amazing things!

READ THE UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE:

There is an internet group called the Edmonton Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Community and this loosely connected group of men and women go above and beyond to help out in their community.

They have been working with and helping the Veterans UN-NATO club with fundraising efforts to support the Kipnes Centre for Veterans.

For those who don't know about it, here's a little background:

The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Centre for Veterans offers 120 long term care beds for male and female veterans.

They also offer  secure care for Dementia patients and a support program that helps caregivers to get some time off.  The Adult Day Support Program offers caregivers the opportunity to take a day off while their loved one spends time exercising, meals, snacks, social and recreational activities, and assistance with prescribed medicines.

Like all programs for veterans, the Kipnes Centre is always in need of support and it is such an amazing place filled with employees that care, deeply.

A packed house at Blackjack's Roadhouse, Nisku AB

Over the last two years they Edmonton Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Community and the Edmonton Chapter of UN Nato have shot a ladies calendar, in year one it raised just over $6,000 and this year the presentation that was made during the fashion show was for just over $9,000!

Harley-Davidson of  Edmonton booth

It is a wondrous thing when people come together to do something for others.  There is a satisfaction level that can't be obtained any other way but through giving.

The Edmonton Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Community on Facebook and the Veterans UN-NATO group are but two great examples of those who love to give back, pay it forward, and just generally helping out their communities at large.


The Fashion show was a resounding success.  As always, Blackjack's Roadhouse in Nisku was the venue for this terrific and momentous occasion.

Our area hasn't had a fashion show in ages and certainly not one where 5 dealers got together to provide clothing and models along with door prizes and booths!

Scona Cycle, Echo Cycle, Harley-Davidson of Edmonton, Heritage Harley-Davidson and Cycle Works all had booths and clothing in the fashion show and Honda Extreme Powerhouse and Riverside Motorsports took part as just donors for the silent auction.

The entirety of Blackjacks was shut down for this special occasion and it was packed to the rafters!

Silent Auction Table

Fort McMurray was the emcee for the evening and as usual he did a fantastic job!

The models were volunteers and in the case of the ladies, some of them were the same gals who posed for the calendars.

Heritage Harley-Davidson  Booth

Your $25 entry fee got you a glass of champagne, some hors d'oeuvres, music and the fashion show - all in all a great deal that supported a worthy cause.

If you missed this event, you missed a great time and personally I think you need to put this on your calendar for next year as the rumours are already swirling that this might become an annual event... as soon as we hear from Ray and the gang that this is for fact true, we will let you know!

And as soon as we find out the total from the event that will be going to Kipnes Centre for Veterans we will let you know that as well.







If you are blessed enough to be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and cannot see you.

Emcee, Fort McMurray

PS - the final round of voting in Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community contest begins on the 13th - who will win the title from the 2016 riding season?

Cape Breton or Port Alberni - your votes will decide!

Belt Drive Betty,
Editor & Rider









UPDATE APRIL 11/17: The E.H.D.M.C. Executive would like to send a big thanks to everyone that supported our Motorcycle Fashion Show that was held on Saturday night at Blackjacks. We raised just under $8000.00 from this event in support of the Veterans. I am sure that the Kipnes Centre for Veterans will greatly appreciate the support. So with these additional funds the E.H.D.M.C. has raised $17,000.00 this year to support our Vets.

SaveSave

Canada's Most Rider Friendly Community Contest Finalists Announced!

Grande Prairie AB – The second round of voting in Canada’s MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest has concluded. Although the western conference was the only one to be decided upon in this round, it was one heck of a contest between Drumheller & Port Alberni. Nisku sadly, didn’t seem to get in on the action.

Drumheller and Port Alberni went at it hard. The contest became very heated with both sides declaring that there was no way the other side could have that many votes coming in! However, they did and the audit shows that Port Alberni came out the victor.

From the voting patterns we concluded that Port Alberni’s population tended to vote far later in the day and it almost seemed that gave Drumheller a false sense of security. In the end, these two communities showed the pride and sense of community spirit we were hoping to see. Port Alberni, won out this year, but both communities are truly winners!

I want to thank all of the communities that were nominated, and those that have been knocked out of the competition thus far. It is truly rewarding to see the communities that riders love to ride to; it has lengthened the bucket list for a lot of us!

Drumheller, you gave it a good fight, hopefully we will see you in the competition again!

Next, Cape Breton and Port Alberni go head to head. Voting for the final round to determine the winner from the 2016 riding season in Canada’s MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest begins April 13^th, may the best community win.

We want to acknowledge the commitment of all of our wonderful sponsors without whom this contest could not happen: EastLink TV, The HOG Radio Show, Reality Radio 101, Biker Radio, Suzettee Speaks Silently, Northern Horizon Newspaper and our presenting sponsor, Community Futures of Alberta!

About Canada’s MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest:

Canada’s MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest was created by Renee ”Belt Drive Betty” Charbonneau, founder and CEO of Belt Drive Betty Media.

Canada’s MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest is a rural tourism marketing initiative whose goal is to create awareness of the wonderful businesses and communities that are there for riders to explore. Large cities are not as inviting for motorcyclists; with the advent of texting and driving along, the dangers of driving in traffic, road construction and other hazards along with motorcycle only noise bylaws, many riders prefer to get out on the open road and away from the majority of the dangers that cities present. Motorcyclists also face certain barriers when it comes to customer service in the travel and tourism industry.

About Belt Drive Betty Media:

Belt Drive Betty Media is a diverse motorcycle media company founded in 2003. It offers the rider a vast array of ways to connect with the information on the motorcycle community they need.

That diversity offers advertisers looking to connect with the Canadian riding community a large number of advertising vehicles to choose from.

Belt Drive Betty Media offers TV, web, social media, app and email marketing opportunities.

Contact:

Renee “Belt Drive Betty” Charbonneau

(780) 402-8892

bdbetty@beltdrivebettymedia.com

Visit: beltdrivebetty.com

Bustedknucklechronicles.com

Canadianmotorcycleevents.com

Riderfriendly.com

About Community Futures of Alberta:

For 30 years, Community Futures has been supporting small business development and rural economic diversification in Alberta. We are a community driven, non-profit organization with 27 offices in rural areas throughout Alberta. Each office is staffed by local business professionals and guided by a volunteer Board of Directors.

In other words, we live where you live, and reap the benefits of a strong local economy created by business entrepreneurs just you! Read about some of the many successful businesses we have helped start-up and grow over the years.

We provide a wide range of small business loans, business coaching/training services and business management tools for people wanting to start, expand, franchise or sell a business.

We also run a number of specialized business programs, and actively work with community and business leaders to foster rural economic growth.

We are funded by the Government of Canada through Western Economic Diversification Canada

There are a total of 269 Community Futures offices across the country.

Contact:

Holly Sorgen

Community Futures Grande Prairie & Region

(780) 814-5340

Holly.Sorgen@albertacf.com

When Murphy Strikes...

This is our second year hosting Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest and while last year provided a learning curve, it providing nothing like the challenge we faced last night.

Murphy struck hard yesterday.

Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest experienced a technical problem that we did not anticipate.

Our web mistress, Ali, the hardest working web mistress in the country set things up so that our contest would automatically end at 11:59:59 last night.

What she did not know, is that there was a setting that made it so the server would cut the contest off at 11:59:59 Ontario time not Mountain Standard Time. Our servers are located in the east.

YEAH - the contest was cut off  TWO HOURS early.

I started getting calls at home and I was already in bed!
I got up and called Ali.  She was emailing people and attempting to appease them but took a minute to explain to me what happened.

She was crushed. Totally devastated.

In spite of a few challenges with confirmation emails hitting spam folders and people frustrated at times because they couldn't log in or register, she had managed to stay on top of everything and help people with all of their issues.

This was a wonderful contest until last night.

We did what we thought was best, and extended the contest out to 11:59:59 tonight to ensure that no one from yesterday got left out. It also gives both communities a final chance to push, a bonus, so we thought.

Short of calling the contest off for technical difficulties and just giving each community $15 or $20K each in free marketing and calling it good, we couldn't think of a better way to handle this challenge.

It's discouraging and frustrating - Ali and I spent hours calling and emailing people back last night and again this morning.

We've done everything we know how to do, but sadly, it seems like we can't make everyone happy so we are focusing on making as many as happy as we can.

We wanted this to be a community building experience for people. We wanted them to feel pride in their community and be glad to have gotten focus placed on their communities. That free marketing is the best you can get!

We wanted these communities to have a healthy, fun rivalry, hence every community that gets this far in the contest wins some free marketing from Belt Drive Betty Media.

But now we have people calling us scammers, saying the fix is in for Drumheller if they are from Port Alberni and for Port Alberni if they are from Drumheller.

There are those who think that extending the contest out was wrong.

The amount of times I have been called a scammer and other names I can't and don't want to mention, boggles my mind.

We donate 90% of the prizing, do 95% of the work to host this contest all to help the riding community and rural Canadian communities only to be denigrated and abused verbally by some and while it's a small number of people being hurtful and abusive, it still hurts, stings.

If I was asked at this moment will this contest continue on after this year I'd say no.

But I know me, and I know that once I get over the feelers being hurt, I'll probably want to press on.

I love our country, the rural communities in particular, they are the heart of our country, but I also like my sanity and my dignity...so we shall see, after we get this contest done and have crowned a winning community, how I feel and whether or not our sponsors are going to want to continue on.

This technical glitch was a blow, we sure didn't need.

Anyway, let's git'er done...

www.riderfriendlycontest.ca

This is the Final Day to vote to see which community will meet Cape Breton for the finals.

If you are blessed enough to be riding today, please remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you.

Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

Potholes, the ever present danger in a Canadian Spring Season

Many of my friends and I complain about the potholes here in the Grande Prairie and northern regions of Alberta. We have lots of reason to complain too, potholes here end up being craters that whole 4 x 4 trucks can get swallowed up in, I swear!  And I also swear that those suckers multiply faster than rabbits. It's almost to the point that sometimes you have to choose which potholes you are going to hit because avoiding them isn't an option!

While we'd like to think we are special, according to Bill Gardiner, potholes are a problem all across Canada.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Bill, our favourite Canadian TV Mechanic again, this time in his capacity as a spokes person for Kal Tire.

Bill's reputation as an automotive mechanic is legendary here in Canada and so it makes great sense that he and Kal Tire have teamed up to educate people about the hidden dangers of hitting potholes.

According to Bill and the survey that Kal Tire did (1,000 Canadians responded) 40% of those who hit a pothole say it damaged their vehicle.

39% of those said the damage was to the alignment of their wheels.

When you feel the front end of your car vibrating, or shaking, if you feel a wobble in the steering wheel, or a pulling sensation, that's a good indication that your alignment is out.

A blown tire or a severley damaged rim are rather obvious to spot, and are also common results of hitting potholes too hard or hitting ones that are very deep.

However, what most people never consider is the damage they didn't see or feel right away.

A minor tweak in the rim of your wheel can create a leaking situation and depending on where that tweak is located it can mean the integrity of the rim is shot, but you might not realize that the rim is actually the cause of that leak.

Your suspension could be compromised.

A leaking shock or strut will cause poor handling.

Un repaired damage is a hidden risk to us all!

Hitting a pothole hard enough can create a reduced ability to steer, absorb and dampen the shock of the impact. It also makes the maintaining of road contact and supporting the vehicle’s weight just a few of the suspension issues that can arise from hitting pot holes - either repetitively or in a harsh manner.

An interesting, but very disturbing fact that came from the survey conducted by Kal Tire...
Of the 32% of motorists who experienced an alignment issue (pulling to one side), only 44% of those drivers had the damage fixed.

That means, they have a poorer handling vehicle that is putting themselves and every other motorist at risk potentially.

If nothing more severe than the damage to their pocket book is inflicted on them and others, they are lucky, however an out of align vehicle becomes costly, quickly.

Their tires will wear out prematurely, struts and other alignment components are also going to wear out earlier as well.  Other mechanical components like the breaking system, hoses and lines can also be damaged as the result of a hard enough hit.

It's spring time in Canada, watch for potholes, and if you do strike one with any force or speed, please consider having your front end checked at your local Kal Tire.

If you are on your motorcycle, hitting a pothole could have severe consequences, stay safe out there.

In other news, Canada's MOST Rider Friendly Community Contest is in full swing over at www.riderfriendlycontest.ca

Which community will move on to face Cape Breton in the final round?

Have you voted today? Well, if not - get over there and vote and help us determine which community moves on! Have your say!

Our Rider Friendly Directory at www.riderfriendly.com has now surpassed the 1,300 business mark!
This tool is sure to make your riding season just that much sweeter and it's free to use & free to register to take part in special contests where you can win hotel room nights, event tickets and so much more!

Have a fabulous day folks and for those lucky enough to be riding today, remember to ride like everyone around you is blind and can not see you!


Belt Drive Betty
Editor & Rider

www.riderfriendly.com

WIN TICKETS to Big Smoke Revival Dinner March 25th, 2017 in Camrose!

In Support Army Cadets!

Big Smoke Revival is a local Camrose Band lead by Jeff Nybeck. They play Blues, Classic Rock, and Country.

This is our 8th Annual Dinner and Auction in support of our local youth in Army Cadets.
Army Cadets is a FREE program for all Canadian youth ages 12-19. It focuses on raising Community Leaders, learning about our Armed Forces, paying Tribute to our Veterans, and a special focus on physical education.

Our Camrose Corp has burst with new energy as we've jumped from 19 Cadets to now 40 and still rising. We now have two platoons of eager young faces. Because there is a Royal Decree that the Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corp must remain free to all youth we are not allowed to collect for uniforms, travel expenses, expeditions, camps equipment etc.

The Department of National Defense provides a minimal funding and the remainder falls on our faithful sponsors and numerous fundraisers.

This year's event is at the Camrose Moose Hall on March 25, 2017

Doors open at 5:30 with A Burger Bash Banquet kicked by off at 6 pm. There will be Live and Silent Auctions guided by our Auctioneer Jason Hennig.

There is a 50/50 and an area designated for $2 draw bags.

Our MC for the evening will also be the lovely and entertaining Kimberley Will.

For more tickets please contact Kimberly Newberry at 780-608-6863 or Tanya arrive at 780-678-7047.

Any donations to help support these amazing youth is very greatly appreciated.

TO WIN TICKETS SIMPLY JOIN THE RIDER FRIENDLY SUPPORT NETWORK GROUP ON FACEBOOK 

HERE IS THE LINK

A RANDOM WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN MONDAY MARCH 20TH! 

ENTER NOW!