Peacekeepers pedal to raise money and awareness

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For the second year in a row, the Peacekeepers Pedaling for Aboriginal People with Diabetes tour was on the road, cycling through Saskatchewan First Nations communities in an attempt to increase awareness of type 2 diabetes.

Along the way, Saskatoon Police Service constables Keith Salzl and Tony Nadon and civilian cyclist Michael Linklater hoped to raise $10,000 for the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). Linklater and the two officers left on May 10 from Saskatoon and made their way through many communities. The 15-day bike trip wrapped up on May 24 in Saskatoon.

Salzl couldn't say for sure whether the trio reached their financial goal this year but he is almost certain that they raised more than last year, when their efforts netted $7,500 for the CDA.

"It's really frustrating that we can't get more financial support," said Salzl. "Everything is really good. We seem to get the good media coverage. We seem to get people interested in what we're doing but I don't know why people don't want to open up their wallets for this. I guess the spin-off is the awareness. It's one of those things where it's more than just the funds. However, if we want to make it a continued event, we would sure like to meet those goals."

Last year, the trio toured from Vancouver to Saskatoon for a three-week period. This year they decided to stay within Saskatchewan to work with their own communities. Next year the goal is to ride to Ottawa, then from Ottawa to St. John's the following year

"We want to touch as many First Nations right across the country as we can," said Salzl.

Salzl said he lost count of how many First Nation communities the tour went through this year because there were so many small communities along the way, but they stayed in 14 of those communities where they gave a few presentations to high school students. When it was possible, they delivered the presentations along with a local health nurse.

Salzl recounts one of his most memorable moments of this year's tour and that was stopping in his hometown of Paradise Hill, where there was massive support. He said that once they came into town, hundreds of little kids came out of their school to greet them.

"My dad, who is 76 years old, rode his bike with us for a short duration and he was just pleased as punch that he was able to do something like that and that for me was exciting," said Salzl.

While getting information out about diabetes was the prime reason for organizing the tour, it also helps to build bridges between the police and Aboriginal people, Salzl said.

"Our message was as a police service we thought that we could use our positions as a good platform to help build relationships between police and the Aboriginal community."

Although he has been part of the team since the project began last year, 23-year-old Linklater missed much of this year's bike trip due to prior commitments-Linklater coaches a basketball youth team and was busy running basketball clinics and coaching his team in a Calgary basketball tournament while the ride was taking place-but Salzl said other riders came out for different legs of the trip. A nurse from the Royal University hospital came out to show support, as did local paramedics and police.

"The fresh legs kept us motivated. When you're out there, you're having different conversations and seeing different faces and it showed great support," said Salzl.

He's noticed that people seem to jump on board when the police initiate things, so he and Nadon wanted to show that not only could they talk the talk, but also walk the walk by demonstrating their healthy lifestyles by cycling through different communities.

"For type 2 diabetes, that's one of the better ways to prevent or even control the disease, is through exercise and proper diet," said Salzl. That's kind of what we tried to deliver."

Salzl said type 2 diabetes rates in First Nation communities are three to five times as high as they are i the rest of the population.

According to information from the Canadian Diabetes Association Web site, type 2 diabetes is becoming more prevalent in Aboriginal communities, especially among the youth. Having a mother with diabetes or being overweight increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Staying active and eating healthier can offset the start of diabetes, but you can also manage the disease by simply being active for at least an hour a day, avoiding fried or sugary foods and increasing the intake of more fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads and pasta.

To make a donation to the CDA or to learn more about diabetes visit www.diabetes.ca.