A Ridgetown high schooler will start rollerblading from Windsor to London today in an effort to raise money for a good cause.
17-year-old Val Gotelaer says she was inspired by former London Knights prospect Ian Jenkins, who died in tragic accident in 2011 when the 15-year-old tumbled out the back of a pick-up truck.
"He lived by the motto 'Have A Purpose,' he wrote the letters HAP, which stands for Have A Purpose, on all of his equipment and everything that he had," says Gotelaer. "He always made sure that whatever he was doing, whether it was big or small, he was going to get something out of it, he was going to become a better person out of it."
This is the 3rd year Gotelaer has taken on the challenge, and will leave Windsor at 5pm, taking back roads and trails to London. She'll attend class during the day and continue her journey where she left off the night before, and is expected to finish the trek at Budweiser Gardens on Sunday.
Gutelaer has set up a Go Fund Me account called "Val Gotelaer's Have A Purpose Skate" and you can click here for a direct link to donate. The money raised will either go to the All For Kids program in Chatham-Kent or you can designate that it go to the Big E foundation in memory of Ian Jenkins to support amateur hockey.
Her first two journeys raised $400 and she's aiming for $1,000 this year.
