This weekend, Patrick Armstrong and Lincoln Dinning will be amongst the families and friends of 27 fallen heroes, walking between Grand Bend and Corunna.
“It’s nice for the families that the fallen soldiers, police officers, paramedics and firefighters aren’t being forgotten. When the families are included, they know they’re remembering their loved ones,” said Dinning.
Dinning, whose son Matthew was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2006, says he’s proud to take part in this weekend’s ‘100K IN A DAY’ walk.
Matthew Dinning, a Canadian military police officer who was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2006. (Source: Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund)Families of fallen soldiers, paramedics, firefighters and police officers will join the founders of the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund to share the walk along Highway 21 this weekend, raising thousands of dollars to fund the purchase and installation of life saving defibrillators across Ontario.
“The public needs them. They’ve proven to save lives up to a 70 per cent success rate if applied to someone in the first five minutes. We want to make sure these defibrillators are always out there, here in Ontario,” said Armstrong, who started the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund in honour of his fellow OPP officer, Dave Mounsey, who was killed in the line of duty in November 2006.
Heather Pham and her three boys, whose husband and father, OPP Const. Vu Pham was shot and killed in the line of duty near Winthrop, on March 8, 2010, will be amongst the 27 families walking in honour of their loves ones, this weekend, as well.
“I’m not going to say it makes it worth it, but it definitely adds value, and helps us to continue to remember him,” said Pham.
OPP officer Vu Pham, who was killed in line of duty on March 8, 2010 after he was shot and killed on the side of the road near Winthrop after responding to potential domestic dispute. (Source: Heather Pham
Since 2009, the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund has donated 140 defibrillators to community organizations, halls, churches and public spaces across Ontario.
“We’ve had six lives saved because of these donations, and the goal is to keep putting defibrillators out there. We’ll actually have two that will donated along the way this weekend,” said Armstrong.
The families will share the hundreds of kilometers — relay style — each taking a short section in honour of their fallen heroes and loved ones.
“We don’t store our memories on a shelf, we live them everyday,” said Heather Pham, who will be thinking of Vu as she walks along Highway 21 with her boys later this weekend.
The ‘100K IN A DAY’ fundraiser leaves the Grand Bend Legion this Saturday at noon, and wraps up at the Corunna Legion on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Those interested can view the weekend’s itinerary or donate on the organization’s website.
