On Saturday, Sept. 2nd, two Saskatchewan RCMP Constables and the CEO of the Sherwood Co-op will jump out of a plane at the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport. On the following Saturday, Sept. 9th, three members of the Regina Police Service will do the same.
The purpose of the bold leap is to raise funds in support of Teddy Bears Anonymous (TBA), which has partnered with the RCMP and local police services to help the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon. This is the first year the skydiving event is taking place, and TBA hopes to make it an annual tradition.
Partnered with Skydive South Sask, both jumps will take place at the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport, and both are scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on their respective days.
The event is planned on two separate days for good reason: a friendly competition is currently underway between two teams to see who can raise more money for the cause. Each weekend gives a team the recognition they deserve for their efforts.
Pool A includes two RCMP Constables, one from the Southey Detachment and another all the way from Ahtahkakoop Detachment in Northern Saskatchewan. As well, the CEO of Sherwood Co-op Troy Verboom will be jumping alongside them.
Pool B includes three members of the Regina Police Service who will be jumping in full uniform.
The competition is close, with Pool A gaining a slight lead at $2,305 raised and Pool B isn’t far behind at $2,138. The combined goal set by TBA is to raise $5,000, and with a dedicated effort the tally is already at $4,443.
Luke Lawrence, the president of TBA, said the $5,000 figure is reasonable, but there is no upward limit to how much the two pools can raise. “Ideally, we would like to raise $15,000 which is probably not going to happen. The reason we picked $15,000 is because this is our 15th anniversary,” said Lawrence.
TBA oversees the manufacture of medical-grade teddy bears, which children can take with them into operating rooms, their hospital beds, and along for rides with EMS teams. The bears are factory sealed, SHA (Saskatchewan Health Authority) approved, and don provincial green hospital scrubs to help children feel a sense of comfort while undergoing treatment.
To date, Lawrence said the charity has delivered 190,000 teddy bears to children across the province.
Everyone is invited to attend on each scheduled day. The Moose Jaw Municipal Airport will have a barbecue, attractions for the kids, and vendors are welcome to register.
The jump instructor is Pablo Moreno, who volunteers with Skydive South Sask.
Tandem skydiving involves an experienced Tandem instructor jumping with a passenger and overseeing the process from start to finish. The passenger wears a custom-fit harness which is securely attached to the instructor at four points.
Once at altitude, jumpers will experience a 20-second freefall before deploying the main parachute. Once deployed, the descent takes around five minutes.
All jumps will be conducted with Moreno’s guidance using a joint skydiving harness and will be 7,500 feet off the ground. Skydive South Sask routinely holds tandem jumps from between 7,500 and 10,500 feet.
Prior to deployment, all individuals scheduled to jump must undergo a pre-jump briefing which takes place at the drop zone location and reviews safety protocols.
Skydive South Sask is a non-profit organization and is run by volunteers who are experienced skydivers. To contact the organization or schedule a jump of your own, they can be reached at 306-569-5867. Note that the organization is run by volunteers who share a cellphone, and they are only available to take calls on weekends.
One hundred per cent of the proceeds raised will go toward the purchase of new teddy bears for sick children. TBA is a Regina-based registered charity organization staffed entirely by volunteers. Lawrence said that nobody from TBA draws a wage, including himself, so all proceeds can be forwarded to the cause. “Building smiles one teddy bear at a time is our slogan,” Lawrence said.
For a list of participating hospitals and EMS responders, visit the TBA website.
You can support either team with your donation at TeddyBearsAnonymous.ca. Anyone who donates is asked to mention ‘Jump for Charity’ in the comment section on the site, and to state which pool they want to support (Pool A or Pool B).
The competition is friendly, and it doesn’t matter which side wins as all funds are pooled together. The true winners are the children supported by everyone’s combined effort.
Anyone wishing to attend the event is asked to show up around 8:00 a.m. at the latest, as the jump is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. and skydivers will undergo an on-site briefing prior to takeoff.
The Moose Jaw Municipal Airport is located 13 km northeast of Moose Jaw on Highway 301.
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