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Josh Caley, Sue Caley, Melissa Caley and Jim Caley – Brady’s family – participate in an annual cycling event to raise money for the Saugeen Shores Hospital Foundation.Courtesy of family
The organizers: Sue and Jim Caley
The pitch: Raising $155,000 and climbing
The cause: Saugeen Shores Hospital Foundation
Brady Caley never took life too seriously. He enjoyed making people laugh and shooting videos of himself singing while working on the family farm.
After he graduated from a power engineering program at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ont., Brady returned to the farm near Port Elgin, Ont., with hope of working at the nearby Bruce Power nuclear station one day. While tending the fields one day in June 2016, something happened with a piece of machinery and Brady died. He was 22 years-old.
“It was just a family accident that happened. It was horrible, as you can imagine,” recalled Sue Caley, Brady’s mother.
Shortly after the accident, Brady’s friends gathered to remember him and handed Ms. Caley and her husband, Jim, a cheque for $1,500. The Caleys weren’t sure what to do with the money. “We wanted to do something meaningful and so we thought about a bunch of things that Brady liked,” said Ms. Caley. They considered donating the cheque to various sports that Brady enjoyed such as snowboarding, hockey and motocross.
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But then they came across the Gran Fondo Lake Huron, an annual cycling event that raises money for the Saugeen Shores Hospital Foundation, which supports six regional health care centres. The couple thought the ride would be a meaningful way for Brady’s family and friends to participate in something that honoured his memory and supported the community. “We weren’t really thinking a lot about fundraising at the time. We were thinking more of a chance to remember Brady,” said Ms. Caley.
They invited anyone to join their team – called the Brady Bunch – and bought purple and yellow T-shirts, in honour of Brady’s favourite colours. The 30 kilometre route passes by the family farm and the Caleys organize a pit stop with a photograph of Brady.
The Brady Bunch has grown to as many as 86 riders some years. This year’s ride is on Aug. 15 and it will be the team’s seventh. They’ve raised more than $155,000 in total so far, which has helped fund a variety of services and equipment, including a new CT scanner.
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The Brady Bunch, named in honour of Brady Caley.Courtesy of family
The family has been overwhelmed by the generosity of the community and the joy the ride brings. “When we remember Brady on his birthday or the day he died and it’s pretty sad. But this is a day that’s always so uplifting and we just look forward to it and love it,” said Ms. Caley.
pwaldie@globeandmail.com