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Richmond RCMP make Mike, 10, Mountie for a day

Dream comes true for Grade 4 student with Down syndrome as City of Richmond declared Friday "Officer Mike Day" *See photo gallery at foot of story
Mike
Mike Cui, 10, got into character behind the wheel of a squad car during his special day. Maybe your kid could get the same chance at the Richmond RCMP and Richmond Fire-Rescue's Camp Courage this summer?

If Justin Bieber had walked into the hall, the reception from the 250 or so Tait elementary students couldn’t have been more enthused.

But it wasn’t the Bieb who marched into the assembly to the sound of music, it was Mike Cui — a very special ten-year-old in Grade 4.

Escorted at the front and rear by Richmond Mounties, Mike, who has Down syndrome, saluted the crowd rock star-style as he strode to front and centre, resplendent in his custom-fitted RCMP uniform.

Moments later, to the cheers of his peers, Coun. Alexa Loo presented Mike with a framed certificate and, on behalf of the City of Richmond, declared Friday, May 22 as “Officer Mike Day.”

The reception was all a surprise for the special boy and it didn’t end there.

Richmond RCMP’s crime prevention officer, Cpl. Kevin Krygier, then invited “Officer Mike” and his very excited classmates to follow him out of the assembly hall fire exit to inspect the detachment’s mobile police incident trailer and a police car, complete with flashing lights.

It was all, quite literally, a dream come true for Mike who, through his educational assistant Marcie Hammer, had expressed through a video a burning desire to become a Mountie to “protect good people” and “arrest bad people.”

“Marcie contacted me about a month ago and showed me the video,” said Krygier, who runs several crime prevention programs throughout Richmond schools and who already knew Mike after the schoolboy previously took him on a tour of his school.

“I said to her, “what if we made this a reality? And it all went from there.”

Hammer said she’s been working with Mike for around four years at the north Richmond school and told the News how the ten-year-old loves making videos and is fascinated by the RCMP and wants to become a Mountie when he grows up.

After contacting Krygier, Mike was “inducted" into the RCMP and he was brought in to have an official, uniform fitting.