Metis Ride of Hope raises funds for Ukrainian orphans

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This article was published 31/05/2023 (707 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An unfinished ride and a brand new cause have come together in The Metis Ride of Hope.

Organized by Armand and Kelly Jerome, the event is partly the continuation of a trip planned in 2020 to celebrate Manitoba 150. It’s also found a brand new cause, helping orphans in Ukraine.

Organizers and volunteers gathered at Sophie’s Restaurant near Hadashville on May 20, taking part in a launch that featured live music, a fundraising meal and local demonstrations by the Reynolds Fire Department.

But the roots for this trip extended back a lot farther.

Armand Jerome, the Metis builder of the two Red River carts that will be making the trek along with an estimated 10 covered wagons and 15 outriders said in 2020, they had planned to celebrate Manitoba’s 150th anniversary by traversing the old Dawson Trail, the first that connected northern Ontario to the Red River settlement.

They began by travelling by dogsled from Kenora to the Whitemouth River. After waiting for the snow to melt, the plan was to continue from that point on Red River carts.

“We never were able to complete it because after February when we finished the dogsled part, it was only a matter of weeks later that the pandemic shut everything down,” he said.

More recently the couple became aware of the struggles in Ukraine thanks to a friend who was hosting a Ukrainian woman whose husband was fighting and son was still in Ukraine.

“… they told us of the very real pain and suffering this war has brought to their beloved country and its people,” Kelly wrote on their website. “It’s unbelievably hard to listen to these first hand accounts and fight back the inevitable tears and heartbreak especially when you know the children are suffering, the gut wrenching stories we’ve all been made aware of now regarding Ukrainian children being kidnapped and the tremendous efforts to reunite them with their families makes it all the more vile.”

“How could we sit back and do nothing… this ride is how we help,” she added.

For the husband and wife team, this project has special meaning. Armand has Metis heritage and Kelly is of Ukrainian descent.

Armand said they’ve done many projects to celebrate his Metis culture in the past, adding when he and Kelly heard about the situation, he thought there was something they could do.

“Maybe this is the opportunity for my Metis culture and your Ukrainian culture, that we could actually get together and work on a project,” he told her.

This trip also makes use of the historic Dawson Trail, of which the Manitoba Metis Federation spent $15,000 to reopen parts of it never used thanks to the previous trip cancellation.

But time was of the essence.

Kelly and Jerome had to figure out the best way to raise funds and to send them to an organization on the ground with a proven track record and low overhead.

The Saint Nicholas Foundation was chosen.

They also had to get the wheels in motion quickly, as Armand said the old section of the trail is far too bug infested to force horses down it during the summer months.

While the original trail was maintained as a corduroy road, the trail is nearly impassable today, with much of it being under water.

But the group wasn’t fazed.

After a weekend of getting organized, participants were scheduled to leave May 23. They will conclude their trek on June 4 at the Centre of Canada Park.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to visit at some of their camping spots along the way, though many are unable to host visitors because of space or the fact they’re on private property.

They camped at the Eastman ATV staging area on the corner of Road 19A and Dawson Road from May 25-27, were at the Richer Roughstock Rodeo Grounds on Dawson Road from May 27-29, will take part in the Lorette Family Fun Days parade on June 2 and will conclude their trip on June 4.

Armand said support is high and they’ve got a positive reaction from both those with Metis and Ukrainian heritage.

He said stories of the Russians taking Ukrainian children in an attempt to assimilate them strike a chord.

“You know with the children being taken from their families at a very young age, it’s very similar to the Aboriginals, Metis and First Nations, what was happening here with residential schools,” he said. “Now the Canada government is trying to make amends, there’s reconciliation going on, so hopefully, maybe one day that will happen there.”

Armand, (66), is also glad to see what he calls a resurgence in interest in Metis culture in recent years, something that wasn’t happening when he was a child.

“You had to hide who you were,” he said of his childhood attending school in Roblin. “Now the fear of being called Metis now, it’s become pride. Now you’re not running away, you’re running to (your heritage).”

For more information go to themetisrideofhope.com. Donations can be made at gofundme.com by searching for the-metis-ride-of-hope.

As of press time, more than $2,700 had been raised.

On the website, Kelly included this challenge.

“Please think of your children and how safe they are in your arms and hearts… then remember the orphans in Ukraine.”