A fundraiser for a local teen who died in a snowmobile crash last year received some help from a small local store and a big out-of-town business.
Mark Ramolla was eight days away from his 15th birthday when he lost his life in a snowmobile crash on Feb. 16, 2020 in northern Ontario.
Lisa Ramolla said her son was an avid snowmobiler and loved getting out with his dad every chance he could.
“Marky played hockey since he was around six years old, but as he got older it was interfering with going up north with his dad,” she told BarrieToday. “He stopped playing hockey to be with his dad, doing what they loved.”
The fatal crash occurred just before 3 p.m. on a trail in Kearney, east Burk’s Falls.
The OPP investigation determined the Anten Mills teenager had left the trail and struck a tree. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. He was riding that day alongside his father and a friend.
Lisa said she was sickened by the comments by people on social media that claimed snowmobilers were unsafe, and blaming the accident on everything other than what it was.
“This was an accident in a bad spot of the trail, not from a lack of experience or because of speed,” she said. “Marky was very skilled and rode safe like his dad. It just happened.”
A celebration of life was held for him on Feb. 21 with more than 1,000 people attending and at least 300 of them wearing Bass Pro Shops hats.
“He wore a Bass Pro hat everywhere and all the time,” Lisa said. “One of his favourites seemed like it was going to combust it was so worn in.”
When a friend of the family reached out to Bass Pro Shops to get some hats for people to wear at the celebration of life, the outdoor specialty store in Vaughan Mills Mall donated 300 of the hats at no cost.
“We were blown away by their generosity,” said Lisa. “Then Pro-Star (Sports Excellence) on Dunlop Street offered to embroider Marky’s hockey number, 96, on each hat, also at no cost.”
Bass Pro Shops has also recently donated another 150 hats for a fundraiser in Mark’s name to assist kids who need help financially to play sports. Pro-Star will embroider those hats as well.
“Those 150 hats were gone in minutes; we couldn’t believe how fast they sold out,” Lisa said. “Now we have to get more from Bass Pro and told them we would obviously pay this time. Their generosity has been unreal."
She called Bass Pro Shops and Pro-Star "shining examples of great businesses doing wonderful things.”
The fundraiser will not only help raise money for kids to play sports, but will also continue to a $500 tech scholarship at Barrie North Collegiate Institute in Mark’s name.
“Mark was a tech guy and if it ran on gas, he could fix it or ride it,” said his mom. “He rebuilt a Harley-Davidson when he was 13 years old. He and a group of friends would go around and fix everything they could.”
The next shipment of a possible 150 are already sold out when they arrive.
