Back in the fall you may remember local resident Kevin Papke raising money through an M&M Meats barbeque for his cause, Summits For Seniors. His own experience with watching his father, Cec succumb to dementia inspired him to link up with the Bethany Care Foundation and raise money for ongoing needs for patient care. Kevin, an avid climber, had a goal to reach 50 summits by his 50th birthday which recently passed on March 22 of this year. Sponsorship came from many hands, sometimes the smallest giving the most. He chose climbs in Alberta and British Columbia, and even did one in Arizona, climbing solo, or with his family and friends. On March 10 his goal was achieved.
His last ascent took him to the top of Mount Lawson which belongs to the Kananaskis range, between Kananaskis Trail and the Smith Dorien Highway. That day for him was a great one, not only because he had attained his goal, but because the conditions of the hike were very favorable. The previous day he had a grueling hike encountering deep snow in which he would often sink down to 3 feet finding fallen timber underneath. Since he was starting this last hike already weary, it was a blessing to find a route recently trekked so the snow was packed. Reaching the top on this last day with his last flag he found a peaceful and windless moment on the summit.
I had the pleasure to talk to Kevin and his wife Sarah recently following the wind-up of this incredible journey. For the celebration party a fun Gala at the Calgary Golf and Country Club was organized by Sarah. This hugely successful event was turned into a fund raiser as well with a silent auction resulting in an additional $30,000 being raised for this cause. There was a special surprise video tribute to Kevin encompassing the whole year. It was a night of laughter and tears for Kevin and his family. The event, which was hosted by sports media icon Ken Newans, quickly sold out to the many supporters and sponsors, including many local celebrities and business people, as well as family and friends.
Bethany Care Foundation is a voluntary, nonprofit organization that provides care, housing and support services to seniors and persons with disabilities in central and southern Alberta. The almost 170,000 dollars raised through Kevin and Sarah’s initiative will be used as needed by Bethany and also to enhance the Cec Parke Wandering Gardens in memory of Kevin’s father, at the soon to be finished Didsbury location. Sarah told me that persons with dementia find relief of tension and agitation through movement so being in a safe and meaningful environment adds to their quality of life.
After an injury occurred while working with a horse, Kevin’s 74 year old father Cec starting to go through changes. The trauma showed up in various ways. “My dad was a cowboy; he was always on the go.” I got the impression of a man who was colorful, passionate and outspoken. As time moved on Cec would have trouble getting his words out and would become frustrated. Other times he would talk louder than his normal tone. Also the family saw a change in what interested him, although this wasn’t always a bad thing. Kevin said he went from watching baseball to watching Dr. Phil. Suddenly he was relaxed enough to share his knee with his granddaughters Hannah and Jenae so in a sense they got to experience a softer side of their grandfather.
I asked this son of a “cowboy” what his next plans were. His answer was that of a typical husband and dad. Cleaning the garage was on his agenda and Sarah was quick to add she had quite a long “to do” list that had accumulated over the past year. As far as his climbing he will go back to his goal of 15 a year, and looks forward to summer hikes. Who can blame him looking out at this snowy landscape of our spring. And as for Sarah’s 50th? Her answer was 50 beaches. Hmmm, gotta like that. Congratulations to you both on your dream that grew far beyond your own expectations!
