The Military Police National Motorcycle Relay (MPNMR) is once again mobilizing on a cross-Canada motorcycle ride to raise funds for children with visual impairment. On June 10th, they arrived at the Royal Canadian Legion in Moose Jaw after a breakfast stop at the Pit Stop Diner in Mortlach.
“We are the primary fundraisers for the Military Police Fund for Blind Children (MPFBC),” said event organizer Joel Armstrong. “It’s a charity administered by the military police, which is kind of odd as the federal government doesn’t administer a lot of charities.” The MPFBC is the only military-administered charity in the country.
“Today we started in Swift Current, and we visited Mortlach and Moose Jaw. We’re going to Weyburn, Estevan, Stoughton, and we’ll spend the night in Carlyle.”
It all started with Colonel James Riley Stone, who was the founder of the MPFBC. Back in 1957, he was the Canadian Army Provost Marshal (MP) when his daughter Moira was diagnosed with cancer of the eye, leading to her sudden blindness.
Colonel Stone was introduced to other organizations struggling to help children with blindness. The plight of these children affected him deeply.
Colonel Stone wanted to do everything he could to help others in the same situation. He began canvassing Military Police members and asking for a voluntary yearly donation of a few dollars. He was able to establish a fund and in 1977 the MPFBC was founded.
Over the past 14 years, MPNMR volunteers have been riding across Canada to help support the charity.
“We ride from Victoria, BC, to St. Johns, Newfoundland. Over the past 14 years, we’ve raised over $850,000 and this year we’re over $26,000 so far from Victoria to Moose Jaw. We’ll be in St. John’s on July 26.”
Everyone in the group is a volunteer, and supporters can ride any distance they are able to.
In Saskatchewan, a few locals joined in. “We have Terry who served us breakfast in Mortlach this morning and came with us; we have Owen we’re going to meet in Weyburn, and he’s going to ride the rest of the day with us.”
Volunteer riders are motivated by the same spirit as Colonel Stone to help others in need.
“I’ve had the privilege of meeting a couple beneficiaries of the charity, which has really opened my eyes to the struggles of people with visual impairment,” said Armstrong.
One girl he met, Katrina who is blind, as well as other physical impairments. Confined to a wheelchair, she has uncontrollable shaking and has a hard time eating.
“So, the charity bought her a sewing machine that she can operate blind. She makes adult bibs for people like her who struggle with spilling food… it gives her a sense of purpose as she is giving back to the world.”
Isaac is one of the children whose life was changed by the charity. “He got connected to the charity when his mother was at her wits end as a single mom… (and) diagnosed with breast cancer. He was born with a neurological disorder that prevented a lot of his reflexes from working properly.
“As a newborn he couldn’t swallow and was choking on everything. His visual impairment was that his eyes were physically okay, but they didn’t work with his brain properly.
“They (MPFBC) helped out with treatment and a $6000 pair of glasses.
“By the time he joined us he was 12, and he was able to read his story when we stopped… and on receiving his glasses, the first words out of his mouth were: ‘Mom, is that what you look like?’
“We had a charity baseball game against the Castlegar Fire Department, and Isaac hit the baseball for the first time in his life. It was pretty cool.” He also scored the only home run of the game, thanks to a few fumbled catches. “I think that was a life-changing experience for him.
“What happened in 2020, of course with COVID, was the national event didn’t go ahead,” Armstrong said. “So, this year has been about restoring the national ride and restoring contacts across the country.
“The relay’s goal is to get us up to $1 million in total. I think that’s ambitious for this year, but we’ll see how it goes!”
To learn more about the MPFBC charity or to make a donation, you can visit their website at mpfbc.ca. The MPNMR group can be reached at the site or through their separate Facebook page.
“Anyone who is aware of us is welcome to join and ride with us.”
