Usually, the annual Canada Day BBQ held by the Stephen's Backpacks Society is the largest fundraiser of the year for the group.

This time around though, for the 11th annual event, it was all about building unity in the community and remembering the group's beloved President Jim McPhee who passed away on May 4th of this year after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Jim's wife Nancy says Canada Day was a difficult day.  "It's the first Canada Day without my Jim.  The first of everything is always difficult but I can't put into words how much the love and support and people cheering on the streets as we went by.  I even got a honourary mention from the parade because we put a float together.  Well Jim wouldn't have it any other way, he'd be really upset if I didn't put a float together and keep up with our traditions.  We're going ahead with Stephen's Backpacks with full force and a wonderful loving community behind us.  How can we go wrong/"

Nancy says they deliberately lowered their prices for the BBQ to $1.50.  "We wanted this to be about unity in the community as opposed to fundraising, and normally this is our biggest fundraiser, but as a board we decided that in honour of Jim it would be really wonderful, even though he was a Scotsman" Nancy jokes, "if we lowered our prices and made it a unity in the community event and made it affordable for everybody to come out.  I'm very excited to see the turnout, hundreds of people, and beautiful highland dancers and wonderful pipers, it doesn't get any better than this."

Nancy says she is extremely thankful to her late husband for getting behind her and Stephen at every step of the way.  "I was the visionary and he was the one that kind of grounded me, but he always made me believe that, no matter what, nothing was impossible, if we just dream out loud with Stephen that we can do this.  I'd just like to send out a special shout out to Heavey to him."

Stephen's Backpacks has helped over 40,000 homeless and at risk children in Alberta and Saskatchewan though it's four programs since it's inception.