In November 2016, Corporal Nick Kerr, Master Corporal (retired) Collin Fitzgerald and Kerri Tadeu adopted a 1.18 kilometer stretch of the Highway of Heroes in Grafton in honour of Tadeu’s friend Major Michelle Knight-Mendes who was the 118th soldier who was carried home from the Afghanistan War.
Shortly after, the trio adopted the entire 344 kilometers of the Highway of Heroes (172 km East and 172 km West) stretching from Trenton to Keele Street in Toronto as an initiative to combat the epidemic of suicide amongst Military, Veterans and First Responders. Their adoption is rooted 95% in Mental Health and 5% in garbage collection.
A fitting location for MPP David Piccini to present scrolls of recognition to Highway of Heroes Volunteers, Anna Loveman, Lorna Dickson, and Dave York was at Yorkies in Cobourg on Monday, September 9, 2019 – the place where the Highway of Heroes Volunteers sit down for a meal after picking up trash on the Highway of Heroes.
MPP Piccini wrote a personal note on Silver Cross Mother Anna Loveman’s Certificate of Recognition, “Anna, I so enjoyed volunteering with you and thank you for all you do to preserve the lasting legacy of your son and all who serve!” After picking up garbage during the Spring and Fall Clean of the Highway of Heroes for the past three years, Corporal Kerr, Master Corporal (retired) Fitzgerald and Tadeu adopted a special section along the Highway of Heroes in Port Hope in honour of Loveman’s son, Craftsman Kyle Sinclair who died in Petawawa in 2014.
Lorna Dickson has been named the “Highway of Heroes Earth Angel” secondary to her initiative at CPK with her co-workers and friends to support the Mental Health component of the Highway of Heroes Adoption which resulted in over $16,000 being donated between Project Trauma Support and To The Stan and Back. Service men and women have directly benefited from the remarkable efforts at CPK being led by Lorna Dickson and Tracey McBride.
Owner of Yorkies, Dave York has gone above and beyond for the Highway of Heroes Volunteers – feeding well over 100 volunteers who have travelled from Montreal, Cornwall, Ottawa, Brockville, Kingston Barrie, Guelph, Niagara Falls and everywhere in between to clean what is consider a sacred stretch of Canadian soil. The comfort food served to the Highway of Heroes Volunteers is an incredibly generous act of support and speaks volumes of Dave York’s understanding of the personal sacrifices our service men and women in our Canadian Armed Forces make for our country and our values. York’s remarkable contribution in supporting the volunteers and the service men and women who answered the call to protect Canada brings honour to our community and contributes to the outstanding legacy that the Highway of Heroes Adoption has created in memory of Grafton’s Major Michelle’s Kngiht- Mendes.
Three outstanding individuals leading by example in their community – Thank you for your contributions to the Highway of Heroes Adoption and affecting great change that will continue to have a far reaching ripple effect.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
