LAKELAND - A Lac La Biche County family was part of this year’s rolling campaign in the fight against prostate cancer, taking part in the annual Lakeland Motorcycle Ride for Dad.
On June 22, Donna Fabbro, her husband, Tony, son Jason and daughter-in-law Angie got on their Harley Davidsons to join about 200 other motorcycle enthusiasts for a ride that began at Alexander Community Hall near Ardmore and travelled a roughly 320 kilometres circuit through Alberta’s scenic Lakeland region before finishing back at the hall in the later part of the afternoon.
It was the first time Fabbro had gone on the ride, which has been held informally for more than a decade. She enjoyed the ride, the scenery, and the people, and appreciated the awareness the ride rings to an important health issue.
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“This was the first big ride for us. It was very, very nice,” she told Lakeland This Week, explaining that the RCMP led the way while local volunteer firefighters on motorbikes blocked off some intersections to make it easier for the motorcyclists to travel through the communities of Bonnyville, Cold Lake, and Elk Point during their trip.
Fabbro said she heard about this year’s ride, saw that the campaign had raised more than $150,000 over the years, and wanted to contribute. Fabbro said she was “inspired” to get involved with this cause to raise money and awareness about prostate cancer.
“There’s so many people dealing with cancer right now, and prostate cancer is a big thing for men,” she said. “If they can catch it at an early stage, there’s always hope.”
After signing up, Fabbro and her family got to work collecting pledges for their ride, which she says was successful.
“We did really, really good actually, with our pledges,” she said, thanking community members for their support.
In addition to being a fundraiser for prostate cancer, the Lakeland Motorcycle Ride for Dad was also a social event for those who participated.
Along the ride’s route, during several stops, Fabbro said there was a lot of opportunity to meet new people and hear the stories of why they take part in the ride. She said people came from across the province to take part.
Total funds raised from this year’s ride were estimated to be about $12,000, including the event's top fundraiser, Peter Lasouski who raised $3,170 himself.
Fabbro and her family plan to get back out on the open road for next year’s ride.
“We’ll be signing up again,” she said.
