The grieving family of Victoria 'Tori' Stafford is planning a private funeral after the remains of the eight-year-old girl were returned this week.
"They were brought back to Woodstock," her father, Rodney Stafford, said yesterday. "Funeral services are in the works."
The family is planning a private service. Even that will not provide closure to him, Stafford said.
"I believe my final chapter won't happen until all the court proceedings are done," he said.
"There are going to be things I am not going to want to hear," he agreed. "But there is going to be lots of good things come out of this."
Included in the good is a fundraising event this weekend for Child Find Ontario, which kicks off his Kilometres for Kids ride to Edmonton, Stafford said.
Tomorrow's event will have "a whole lot of things for kids," Stafford said.
Besides games, dances, a dunk tank and prizes, children can be fingerprinted for their safety by Child Find, an organization that helps protect children and look for missing kids.
In the evening, adults will be entertained by six or seven bands, he added.
"One-hundred per cent of the money raised will go into an account for Child Find."
The same goes for money raised during his bicycle ride, Stafford said.
About 30 area businesses have offered to help him make the ride, and the local Lions Club has pledged its support to feed him and his crew along the way, Stafford said.
He has offers of free accommodation and has friends driving a support van and trailer.
Stafford plans to leave Wednesday to make a 3,453-kilometre fundraising ride to Edmonton. He was still mapping out the final route yesterday, but plans to make stops along the way to help raise money.
He hopes to arrive in Edmonton in September, then head to Jasper to release a purple balloon in memory of his daughter from a mountain she hiked with her aunt.
Tori Stafford was abducted April 8 as she walked home from school in Woodstock.
A massive police and citizen search failed to find her, but two Woodstock residents -- Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18, and Michael Thomas Rafferty, 28 -- were charged in May with murder.
The family held a community memorial in June that drew more than 1,000 mourners.
The remains of the little girl were found July 19 near Mount Forest. She would have turned nine July 15.
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KILOMETRES FOR KIDS KICKOFF
Where: Oxford Auditorium at the Woodstock Fairgrounds, 875 Nellis St.
When: Tomorrow, 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.
What: Games, music, dancers, children's entertainment, draws for prizes and finger printing by Child Find Ontario.
Admission: $10 for adults, $15 for couples, kids are free.
All proceeds go to Child Find Ontario.
Sponsorship: Anyone interested in sponsoring Rodney Stafford can e-mail r_v_stafford@hotmail.com.
