WINGHAM, ONT. -- Two OPP officers are walking 100 km in a day to raise funds for a charity established in the name of a fallen officer.
Patrick Armstrong is in training mode, as he prepares to push his physical limits this May.
“We’re going to walk from north of London, all the way to Wingham, straight up Highway 4. We figure it will take 22 hours. All to raise money, so the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund can donate more life-saving defibrillators to the public,” says Armstrong.
Like many charities, the Mounsey Fund’s annual fundraising events have been altered or put on hold due to the pandemic. To help keep the donations coming in, Armstrong and his fellow OPP officer, Dave Matheson, are embarking on something neither of them have tried before.
“Dave and I thought what is the most ridiculous thing we can possibly do, let’s walk 100 kilometres,” remarks Armstrong.
Armstrong founded The Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund in honour of his friend and fellow OPP officer, Dave Mounsey, who died in the line of duty back in 2006.
Since 2009, Armstrong has been raising money to buy defibrillators to donate to public buildings, museums and sports fields, in honour of fallen police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and soldiers. So far 124 defibrillators have been donated. Three have been used to restart someone’s heart.
“We promised a bit of jogging, so our initial goal is to start jogging, and then I think it will evolve into walking, and we really hope we don’t reach the crawling stage. But, nothing is off the table at this point, in a 100 kilometre walk,” says Armstrong.
Armstrong and Matheson hit the road May 22-23. You can learn more or donate at www.davemounsey.com.
