Git R Checked!

Over 120 sleds participated in the Ride for Dad fight against prostate cancer on February 19, 2011.
The event started at the Timberline Club house in Pembroke Ontario and raised $25000.00.

Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to this important fight against prostate cancer.

Ride for Dad was a loud,exciting, landmark event with a clear message - Git R Checked! The play on the popular colloquialism "Git R Done" was used to drive home a potentially life-saving message to the men in attendance - get your prostate checked.

The Snowmobile Ride for Dad, an organization raising funds in the fight against prostate cancer, hosted the first ever one-day snowmobile ride as part of the Ride for Dad family of events on Saturday, February 19.

About 125 avid sledders, some from as far away as Kingston and Ottawa, signed up for the inaugural ride, raising more than $25,000 in pledges. We spent about three months organizing the event, the first in Canada. "It was quite the event, and who knows,some day we might say that it started here in Petawawa Ontario, and now it's across Canada just like the motorcycle ride."

"A disease that claims the lives of a dozen Canadian men a day"

The Ride for Dad began with a 80-person motorcycle ride in Ottawa 10 years ago that today has grown to involve more than 250,000 participants in 31 cities across Canada. The initial event raised $20,000 for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre, and over the past decade, rides have netted more than $7-million in the fight against prostate cancer. And as more interest grows in Ride for Dad, more men join the conversation about prostate cancer and prostate health, raising vital awareness of a disease that claims the lives of a dozen Canadian men a day.

No Symptoms, Early Detection Key

Prostate cancer often has no symptoms in its earliest, most treatable stage - making early detection through annual exams a key to saving lives. With the Snowmobile Ride For Dad, it has opened up another huge world to other people who can join our fight against prostate cancer.

Join the ride and the fight

The ride departed the Timberline Snowmobile Club at 10:00 a.m., arriving at the Bear's Den in Deep River for lunch before returning to the Timberline for closing ceremonies and prizes. A helicopter from 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron accompanied the long train of riders on their journey. Prior to departure, participants also heard from special guest speakers including Doctor Stefan Boyle, prostate cancer survivor Terry Giroux.

The role of Snowmobile Ride for Dad Ride Captain was filled by Chief Warrant Officer Gilles Ouellet, Regimental Sergeant Major of the 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron. He summed up his experience leading the group ride in one word: "awesome”. "It was a great experience, and I was very happy to get on board knowing the cause," he said. "(Prostate cancer) is very much a guy thing. So if a guy in uniform is not afraid to talk about things like that, then hopefully it will send a message and get others talking about it."

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian men, generally affecting men over the age of 40. One in seven men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime; on average, 470 Canadian men a week are diagnosed with the cancer. "It is a good cause because it affects everyone. You're lucky if you don't have it in your lifetime," said participant Lt Warren Bagayao. "For those who do have it and those who survived it, it's important to support them."

The second annual Snowmobile Ride for Dad is slated for February 18, 2012. For more information about the Snowmobile Ride for Dad,
visit www. snowmobileridefordad.org