Jireh, Sophie, and Acacia Goertzen. These are the names of three young people who lost their lives too soon. In their honour, Jonathan Goertzen established the 2025 Cousins Memorial Trail Run — an inaugural event that not only keeps the trio close in memory but also supports a cause that encourages community. Finding a positive way to mourn For Goertzen, the memorial run, right down to its name, is about honouring family and keeping memory alive after the loss of his two nieces and nephew. “Normally, not talking about things is a natural thing for people to do, but to remember them and to honour them and to help us all heal, we wanted something for us all to get together and run,” he said. Three tragedies Sophie and Acacia were the daughters of Duane and Sylvia Goertzen, a couple from Roseau River with strong roots in the region’s bible camp. Goertzen said that four years ago, the sisters were in a vehicle together crossing the highway when a semi-truck struck them. They did not survive the collision. “That was the start to a devastating journey for everybody, obviously. [They were] two amazing girls, young teens,” he said. Related Stories: Goertzen girls gone too soon, remembered one year later Bible camp directors overwhelmed by support after 2 daughters die in crash Last year, the family, including parents Joel and Barb Goertzen, experienced another devastating shock when Jireh, who had just been married a few months prior, got into a fatal motorcycle accident. “He was leaving Gladstone, and a vehicle did a U-turn in front of him on his motorbike. He couldn't stop in time,” said Goertzen. “He left behind a beautiful young wife.” The role of remembrance and faith For the bereft uncle, organizing the Cousins Memorial Run was one way to continue to process the immense losses. “[They were] three amazing, amazing people, and had so much life to live, and we just mourn the loss of them every day, but we put events on like this, and we gather together as a family and with really good friends to remember that even though they're gone, we will see them again [in heaven],” he said. For Goertzen, faith is a strong component of the family’s grief and remembrance. It also inspires the family’s outlook and its desire and willingness to serve the community through the Cousins Memorial Trail Run. “I'm not an extremely religious person, but I believe in God, and I believe that we were created to be on this earth to do amazing things, and that plays a big role,” he said. “I know my family's the same way, so that does help, and everyone has their own outlet to get through hard things, and this is just a way that we believe.” Goertzen said that while he finds comfort in trusting that he will see his departed family members again one day, in the meantime, he has his sights set on doing good where he can. “It feels like it's going to be forever [until I see them], but we also have to do amazing things on this earth as we wait,” he said. “We can't sit back and just let this life pass without pushing forward and doing absolutely incredible things, and I think my family sees that as well. It's just inspiring for me to see them being able to push forward .... They are pushing forward through this all, and they're still doing absolutely amazing things with the children that are still here on earth.” Facilitating connections One of the family members that Goertzen reflected on is his brother, Joel, whose mission was the recipient of the funds raised from the first-ever Cousins Memorial Trail Run. The organizer said that the registration fees for the event went to his non-profit motorcycle shop in Gladstone called Redemption Moto. It’s not just any shop — it strives to build into youth through offering mentorship opportunities in bike repair, carpentry, and baking. The project was in its early stages when Jireh, Joel’s son, tragically lost his life in his accident, but despite the unimaginably difficult time, it has continued to develop. How the funds will be used Goertzen said that approximately $4,000 was raised for Redemption Moto through the run. The funds will be used to support building projects in the space, as well as to keep the doors open. “Everything comes from [Joel’s] pocket and goes back to the community just to help serve the community of Gladstone,” he said. “It's a pretty big blessing for us to be able to do that for him.” Goertzen said that Redemption Moto was born of his brother’s intersecting passions. He has experience working with young people through Youth for Christ, and he also “loves motorcycles” and has a knack for repairing them and other vehicles. “His passion for serving, especially the youth in that community, was what really drove him,” said Goertzen. “He took the leap and decided to go out on his own, and he didn't need to be employed by anyone else to have a big and proper impact on the youth of Gladstone. He made a decision to do it, and I think it was the right one.” The day of the run Goertzen said that even though the Cousins Memorial Run, which took place on September 20th, happened on what began as a rainy day, it was a success. A total of 145 runners from Grunthal, Steinbach, Winkler, Morden, Gladstone, and as far as Winnipeg attended the event at Lake Minnewasta. The organizer said that because there aren’t usually runs on Lake Minnewasta’s trails, he suspected that it would be well-attended. He wasn’t disappointed — the community’s buy-in was noteworthy, and it means a lot to Goertzen and the memory of his nieces and nephew. “It means that people want to get physical, and people also want to support. There were two big factors in it, and the support that we were shown that day was absolutely incredible,” he said. With files from Robyn Wiebe