THUNDER BAY — A city has become a community to show a family that they care and will remember 10-year-old Riker McKelvey, especially for his love of skateboarding.
The young boy was killed in a collision involving a bus on May 23 at the corner of Red River Road and Clarkson Road. An impromptu memorial started at the corner just hours after police reopened the intersection to the public.
The memorial event took place at Cinema 5 Skatepark on Sunday, where Riker enjoyed spending time.
Jessica Muloin, Riker's mother, called the community support phenomenal.
"The impact [Riker's death] had on the community has been more than I ever could have foreseen in a situation like this," she said.
Muloin noted her son's devastating story continues to reach further than she could've imagined, as she's received support from across Canada.
"I just wanted to thank everybody in this community. The support has been not even just from Thunder Bay, but it has been like almost across Canada," Muloin continued. "It's been incredible and very touching and there's not enough words of thank you, of the gratitude that we feel for that. It's made a world of difference."
The event grew quickly across social media gaining traction and lots of interest. Many local businesses showed support and donated food and drinks, along with tents and other supplies for the celebration of Riker.
"Without the support that we've had, it's such a horrible, tragic event that, I don't know, I don't know how people without the support that we had, make it through something like this," Muloin said.
Multiple GoFundMe campaigns emerged after the tragedy. The first GoFundMe page will be used to help ease the financial burdens being faced by the family, as well as helping them find a meaningful way to honour Riker’s life. The second GoFundMe was started to help the family deal with the nightmare of losing a child.
