About 25 members of the Gervais family will take part in the Tofte July 4th parade this year. Their theme is motorcycle safety. Photo courtesy of Cindy Gervais Craig
We know July 4 as Independence Day, the day in 1776 that the Continental Congress declared that the 13 colonies were no longer subject to British rule. It’s also a day for picnics, parades, potlucks, family gatherings, and speaking of family gatherings, a big one will be occurring at the July 4th celebration in Tofte this year.
For the Gervais family, it will be a time to celebrate, to visit and commiserate, and a special day to share a message with the community about motorcycle safety.
A horrific motorcycle accident that occurred October 2017, not only changed the life of James Gervais, but also the lives of his family and friends.
“The accident broke most of the left side of his body and his recovery has been constant, every day,” said his sister, Cindy Gervais Craig. “After nine weeks in a coma and six months in the hospital, we brought Jim home to live with me and my family in Duluth. Jim is currently wheelchair restricted and in need of assistance for moving. His brain injury affects him the greatest. His short-term memory is poor – but his long-term memory including our childhood in Tofte is very clear.
“This year, our family (about 25 of us) are reliving childhood memories of being in the Tofte 4th of July Parade. Jim is the center of our float – but the focus is not on his accident but rather motorcycle safety. Had he been wearing a helmet that evening, he wouldn’t have the brain injury that he does today. Had the farmer crossing the road in his combine been more in tune to motorcycles, perhaps he would have seen Jim on his motorcycle and not caused a 40 mph impact into the side of his combine.”
Cindy and her large family, many of whom still live in Tofte, will be decorating their float on Wednesday, July 3, “at our Dad’s (Jerry Gervais) place in Wildwood Acres.”
On Thursday, four generations of Gervais family will walk beside Jim and pass out motorcycle safety brochures, candy and red bandanas.
“Jim would always wear his red bandana when biking and our float name is ‘Jimmy G and the Red Bandanas’ – just as it was for the Minnesota Brain Injury Alliance last summer in Canal Park during their Walk for Thought event,” said Cindy.
The Gervais clan will be easy to spot. They will be wearing the same T-shirts and sporting red bandanas in the Tofte parade. Cheer for them, but take heart at their message, watch out for motorcyclists and if you ride a bike, wear your helmet.
Leave a Reply