An overwhelming wave of support on Sunday afternoon was spearheaded by Tracey Lievaart of Estevan, who recently helped changed the lives of her sister-in-law Jenelle Wimmer and her two children, both of whom have endured enormous hardships during the past couple of months.
Harvesting crops is a difficult task, but it was one Wimmer and her husband Brad, 29, performed together for many years until a terrible plane crash ended that partnership on Father's Day earlier this year.
Brad and his father Phil, 59, were forced to turn their plane around while en route to the Father's Day Fly In Breakfast in Lampman in June due to worsening weather conditions. A short time later, the plane went down, killing both men.
Since then, Jenelle and her two children, Brayden and his one-year-old brother Jaxon, have been engulfed in a remarkable show of support.
Lievaart ran the Queen City Marathon in Regina on Sept. 7 to raise money for Wimmer and her two boys through a fundraising initiative that allowed people to guess what Lievaart's final time was going to be for $20. Her final time was two hours, 19 minutes and six seconds. A friend of Wimmer, whose guess was only five seconds off Lievaart's final time in the half marathon, won $500 as a grand prize.
"It wasn't the best run, but I was motivated to finish for Brad, Jenelle and the boys," said Lievaartt, a day after participating in only her second half-marathon, her first one being in New York City two years ago. "I wasn't prepared at all, I only started to train hard in August but I still made it through."
A total of $18,650 was raised on Sunday alongside the combined guesses, which reached nearly 200. The money went towards a trust fund set up for Jenelle's two boys.
"The community is always so supportive," Lievaart pointed out, while acknowledging the donations made from residents outside of Estevan, including Weyburn and Tribune.
She had kept a lot of the planning close to the chest and purposefully left Wimmer in the dark as much as she could heading into Sunday.
"I was so shocked when I found out what the total amount raised was. I just couldn't believe it, to have that much money raised in such a short amount of time. It was an overwhelming moment," said Wimmer, a kindergarten teacher from Queen Elizabeth School in Weyburn on Monday. "It was the first marathon I've ever been at to start with so that was a pretty neat atmosphere, but to see the sea of red, we had these red shirts made for Brad and I was surprised to see so many people there supporting us, I didn't expect them all to be there."
Brayden and Jaxon were also in attendance on Sept. 7 in Regina, and though Jaxon, who Wimmer said is still largely unaware of the situation they're going through, the two seemed to soak up the experience.
"They had their shirts on that said 'Team Dad,' and I told them we're here because we're doing this for Dad. Jaxon is still too young to understand but Brayden knew what was going on," she said.
Back home on the farm, Wimmer said Brayden is beginning to adapt to the life without his father and is learning how responsibilities on the farm are able to shift from one person to another.
"He's a kid and kids are so flexible, I think it's starting to sink in as to how life has changed here. He's been tagging along with me everywhere I go, and sees how Mom can work the combine. We're making it work," she said. "(Brad's) brother, his wife and myself we've picked up the harvesting side of things. The neighbours have pitched in during haying season, we have a lot of support around here. We're making it work for this year, and we'll decide how we approach it next year."
Wimmer noted the wet weather that has blasted the southern parts of the province, which has made working in the field a lot more difficult.
"It's been terrible. We're basically out in the field for one day and inside for two," she explained.
Lievaart and Wimmer said the trust fund for the two boys is still open, where donations can be made to [email protected]
More information can also be found on the In Memory of Brad Wimmer Half Marathon Fundraiser Facebook page, which will continue to remain active.
