Manitoba couple completes Red River cart journey for Ukrainian children
A Manitoba couple has completed a two-week journey by Red River cart to raise money for children in Ukraine.
Armand Jerome and his wife Kelly spent years planning their Red River cart trip along the same trail used by the Red River Metis more than a century ago.
The two were originally supposed to take the journey in 2019 as part of Manitoba's 150th birthday celebrations.
"We were involved in the Manitoba 150 celebration. We had done the dog sled trek from Kenora up to the Whitemouth River," Jerome said. "A couple of months later we were supposed to pick up the Red River carts and hook them up with horses, and then we were supposed to finish the trek."
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to those plans.
A few years later, Jerome still had the urge to complete the journey – he just needed a good reason to do it. He found it on the nightly news.
"We discovered that there was these children that were suffering, innocent children suffering the effects of the (Ukraine) war out there and we felt really bad about them we kind of heard their call for help," said Jerome.
They decided to take their Red River carts on a nearly 100 kilometre journey along the Dawson Trail. The group started in Hadashville, Man. and rode west to the centre of Canada, all in an effort to raise money for children affected by the war in Ukraine.
Jerome's background is Metis and his wife's Ukrainian, so he felt it was a great way to bring the two sides together.
The Jeromes brought two Red River carts on their trek, along with four covered wagons, and a few outriders on horseback scouting ahead. They stayed at various campsites along the way, garnering donations through a GoFundMe page.
Jerome said they had many people join them along the way. "We left it open for them to come and join us, they're more than welcome to come with us and they're inspired to do something like this, to make a difference," he said.
He added that the trip was not an easy one with a few injuries along the way, and some stressful moments. "It became a level four forest fire hazard, we had to kind of rush out of there towards Richer," Jerome said. "That made for a very long strenuous day."
The group came together to finish the journey Sunday at the longitudinal centre of Canada, just east of Winnipeg.
Jerome said it was an amazing experience. "We had some rough days, we had some really good days in the end we made it to the Centre of Canada on time and were just really proud of what we did."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.