Nine-year-old Summer-Paige is arguably not only the BC RCMP’s youngest, but most inspirational recruiter.
Const. Michael Rampone, a member of the Penticton RCMP Indigenous Policing Services (IPS) section, recently had the nonour of meeting the young Outma Sqilx’W Cultural School student.
What began as an initiative by the BC RCMP IPS section to motivate a healthy lifestyle for youth across Southeast District First Nations communities amid the pandemic, inadvertently led to a successful recruiting presentation fully prepared and delivered by a local elementary school student.
Summer-Paige, a student at Outma Sqilx’W Cultural School on the Penticton Indian Band Reserve (PIB), accomplished her virtual Facebook challenge of completing an exercise and was selected as one of the lucky winners of the popular gym bags donated by the Southeast District RCMP IPS.
Each gym bag was stuffed with IPS branded goodies like a water bottle, face mask, a hat, a workout towel, wristbands, pencils, stickers, note-pads and of course a recruiting pamphlet for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Weeks later, IPS Const. Michael Rampone was approached by Summer’s mom who shared a heart-warming story about the positive impact the RCMP IPS gym bag had on her daughter.
Summer was more than excited to discover a RCMP recruiting pamphlet inside the bag and took it upon herself to conduct research, prepare and deliver a presentation to her entire Grade 4/5 class on how to become a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and what to expect while in Canada’s national police force.
Sgt. Patti Cook, Non-Commissioned Officer in-charge of BC Indigenous Policing Services, said she couldn’t be happier hearing about the impact this initiative had on kids like Summer-Paige.
“We are humbled to know that our initiative had such a positive impact on Summer, who we hope one day does become a front line police officer. We continuously look at ways to engage with our youth population and communities, all in the hopes of making a positive difference,” Cook said.
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