Cadets raising funds to travel to Vimy Ridge 

Around twenty cadets from 2951 CFS Leitrim Army Cadets will be travelling this November on a life-changing tour across Europe, visiting various battlefields important in Canadian military history.

But they need the community’s help to get there. The cadets are currently fundraising to cover the costs of transportation, lodging and more for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“With it being the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge, we thought it would be a good year to do the tour across Europe,” said Kim Sheldrick, Public Relations Officer for the Support Committee.

In order to raise the necessary $60,000 to cover costs, the cadets are hosting, with the support of businesses and Royal Canadian Legions, several fundraising events.

The next fundraising event, a Trivia Night and Silent Auction, will be held on March 24.

Currently, the cadets have raised close to $30,000.

The Battlefields Tour across Europe will take the cadets to significant sites like the Anne Frank House, Paris, Juno Beach, Normandy, and Passchendaele, with the highlight being a trip to Vimy Ridge on Remembrance Day.

“The cadets that are traveling are extremely excited about it,” said Sheldrick.

“Being so closely linked to the military, and with everything going on with the world, to learn about the history and not only see it in a textbook, or see it in the slide shows, that they’ve made for this; but to go and look for names on the memorial walls, to actually see the trenches, to go to the Anne Frank House, and get a feel for what has gone on in the past, it’s just an incredible experience we think is going to change their lives,” noted Sheldrick.

The Trivia Night and Silent Auction will be held on March 24 at 7 p.m. at the Hylands Golf Club in Ottawa. Members of the public are welcome.