On 10 February 2023, at the Lake Country Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Awards of Excellence night, I had the privilege of presenting Jennifer and Peter Madsen of Oyama Zipline Adventure Park with the Wounded Warriors Canada Mental Health Leadership Award for their ongoing efforts to raise funds for and bring awareness to the mental health struggles of our Veterans, First Responders and their families.

As my fundraising campaign for BBR19 – Operation Overlord, got underway, I approached Jenn and Peter and asked for support for my ride and a donation to WWC. Jenn’s response was a resounding “NO“! Then after a pregnant pause, she said “But, here’s what we will do …”

On 11 May 2019, Jenn and Peter hosted Wounded Warriors Day at Oyama Zipline Adventure Park. They pulled together a number of other community groups to create a very festive event. At the end of the day, Jenn announced that they were very disappointed that, in spite of the fact that they were donating all of the revenue from the park for the day, they only raised $2,700 for the ride and WWC. But, she committed to a greater return the next year. Wounded Warriors Day 2020 was sidelined by the pandemic as was the Battlefield Bike Ride. The next Wounded Warriors Day was on 28 May 2022. On that day, Jenn was true to her promise, proudly announcing that their contribution was $8,100, then commenting that it still wasn’t enough.

Wounded Warriors Day 2023 will be held at Oyama Zipline Adventure Park on 27 May 2023. Jenn and Peter have committed to donate all of the revenue from the day to the Warrior Kids Camps program.

Mark your calendar with the date: 27 May 2023. See you there!

Thank you, Jenn and Peter Madsen

Honour the Fallen; Help the Living