The Prairie Women on Snowmobiles are once again preparing for their annual cross-province snowmobile mission, marking two decades since the non-profit group began their campaign for breast cancer awareness.
Ten women have committed themselves to the six-day sled trip, which will cover a total of 1,600 kilometres and visit 25 different communities in the province, including Moose Jaw.
It’s a tough undertaking on the body, said president Kelly Rea, even for these experienced riders.
“It doesn't matter how much you ride, doing 200 miles a day repeatedly every day takes more than anyone can even imagine,” said Rea. “But what we're doing isn't even close to what someone travelling their cancer journey is going through, so that's the biggest part of it.”
The riders this year will start their journey on Feb. 2 in Humboldt and will finish off on Feb. 7 in Martensville.
Many of the stops this year will be in little towns that haven’t been visited by previous Prairie Women on Snowmobiles missions, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ride.
“It’s wonderful because we're going to meet people who may not even know really who we are or have never had the chance to come out and see us,” said Rea, “and support us and have our support given to them in return.”
At each stop, the riders will meet with breast cancer survivors and community members to spread their cause, and perform a pinning ceremony with any breast cancer survivors in each community.
“Meeting the people, it's so hard to put into words how you feel about it. It's amazing,” said Rea.
Each core rider was tasked with raising $3,000 in donations just to take part, and many of the communities on the list of stops are also planning events to help raise money for the cause.
Over the past 20 years, the Prairie Women on Snowmobiles has raised over $2.5 million for breast cancer research, with over $260,000 specifically remaining in Saskatchewan to purchase equipment.
The trip is an emotional experience, said Rea, but more than worth it for the team. Half of this year’s riders have taken part in the trip before, while the other half are nervous and excited for their first experience.
All of them have been impacted by cancer in some way, and hope to raise more awareness and support for breast cancer research.
When the team stops in Moose Jaw on Feb. 5 for the night, they will hopefully be greeted by plenty of Friendly City faces at the fundraiser supper the Eagles Club is hosting in their honour.
Tickets for the Eagles’ roast beef supper are $10 and available by contacting Wayne Hanson at 1 (306) 690-8542, Greg Nichol at 1 (306) 631-5000 or the Eagles Club at 1 (306) 693-1496, with proceeds being donated to the mission’s cause.
For those unable to make it any of the planned fundraisers at any stop across the province, the team is also taking donations online through the Canadian Cancer Society's secure website.
Choosing any one of the members of Team Prairie Women to pledge a donation will support the cause, although Rea noted that rider Wanda Latimer may appreciate Moose Jaw’s support, as she hails from the area.
The annual mission relies on the generosity of Saskatchewan, said Rea, and she’s hoping the team sees as much support this year as in previous years.
“We put ourselves through this, it's only six days, and it's emotionally so rewarding,” said Rea. “And in order for us to do what we do, we have to rely on the communities and the volunteerism that you see all over this province and it's pretty amazing.”
