Hundreds turned out for Mikayla Martin’s Celebration of Life, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park.
Martin, 22, died in a mountain biking accident Oct. 1, on the trails behind the Stawamus Chief.
Family friend Jacki Willcox, who was also part of the Squamish Search and Rescue team who responded to the call involving Martin, is organizing a fundraiser to help her parents offset the cost of the celebration.
“Mikayla’s parents could have chosen to hold a small, private memorial for just the family. Instead, knowing how much Mikayla meant to the skiing and mountain biking communities, to her friends from school, and to Squamish and beyond, they [held] a fully public Celebration of Life,” reads the GoFundMe campaign page, Mikayla Martin Community Celebration of Life.
“This fund was created so those who wish to help have a tangible way to contribute and to lessen the financial burden on Mikayla's family, who are doing their best to find some way to make sense of their immeasurable loss.”
The campaign was started with the permission of Martin’s parents James and Christine, and every dollar collected will go directly to them, according to Wilcox.
There is also a legacy fund created in Mikayla’s memory, to support young athletes in the pursuit of their athletic dreams. www.gofundme.com/f/mikayla-martin-memorial-fund.
