Salt Spring paramedic Lisa Mitchell will be representing our island’s first responders in the 2025 Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock ride — and even as training for the 1,250-kilometre, two-week bike ride is in full swing, Mitchell is reaching out for community help.
Tour de Rock starts Sept. 20 in Port Alice, Mitchell said, but the race to raise funds is already underway. In addition to appeals for direct donations, Mitchell is organizing an all-islanders silent auction for Thursday, July 24, and is hopeful supporters will reach out with items for the event.
“I think I’m the first-ever emergency responder from Salt Spring to volunteer for a Tour,” said Mitchell. “I feel like this amazing island will want to aid and support this massive endeavour — help me get to that start line, and across that finish line!”
Mitchell is a ceramic artist and lifelong athlete who sells at the Saturday Market and competes in triathlons, all while serving with BC Ambulance from Station 103 on Park Drive.
The Tour de Rock is Vancouver Island’s Cops for Cancer Tour, one of four in B.C. that raise funding for pediatric cancer research and Camp Goodtimes — a medically supervised recreation experience for children and teens with cancer and their families, located in Maple Ridge.
After stopping in communities all down Vancouver Island, Tour de Rock ends at a finish line celebration in Victoria on Saturday, Oct. 4. Mitchell said throughout the challenging trip, each rider is paired with an honorary member — usually a child who has battled or is currently battling cancer, and who will keep them motivated during those long days in the saddle.
“This is really such a unique and magnificent fundraiser that touches so many lives,” said Mitchell. “I am so stoked to be a part of this epic undertaking this year.”
Mitchell said businesses with something to donate for the auction should contact her at lisa.mitchell@bcehs.ca or drop it off at the ambulance station. And, she added, the donated item could be “anything and everything.”
“Whatever quality items you think might work in a silent auction,” said Mitchell. “Gift certificates, actual gifts — there is nothing too small or too big, and 100 per cent will go toward the fundraiser.”
To learn more about Mitchell’s team, visit Cops for Cancer online.