Solidarity never before seen
Hundreds of people mobilize to search for little Cédrika Provencher
For nearly two weeks the name of Cédrika Provencher has been on the lips of everyone in Quebec who has been touched by the disappearance of the young girl from Trois-Rivières. Nine year-old Cédrika was last seen on Tuesday, July 31.
In Trois-Rivières and elsewhere, Cédrika Provencher has caught the attention of all. Far from conceding defeat, the family, friends, investigators and volunteers are ever-hopeful of finding her. To this end they are doing everything possible to trace her whereabouts. As well, there is an uncommon wave of sympathy and compassion on the part of the people of Quebec for the missing youngster and for her distraught family. The spirit of solidarity is coming from all directions and from a variety of groups and corporate organizations.
The latter are contributing to the search efforts through donations that might help find the little girl. As of this past Wednesday, $80,000 had come from these sources. The money collected so far and whatever more comes in, can do nothing but contribute positively to the extensive search efforts underway at the moment.
"The money might serve to loosen some tongues to provide leads into Cédrika's disappearance, new leads apart from the ones already received from people who have closely cooperated with the police," says Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Isabelle Gendron.
Right now, more than 50 investigators are working on Cédrika's disappearance, analyzing, deciphering and checking out the many leads provided by the public. As to volunteers, hundreds of them mobilized themselves this past Wednesday, at the invitation of the family. "The search efforts are coordinated by a team of professionals. These (volunteer) efforts are not intended to replace or interfere with the investigation. We're mobilizing because we just can't sit with our arms crossed and wait for the unfolding of this story. Specific parts of the woods have been targeted and that's where we'll be concentrating our efforts," emphasizes Guy McKenzie, a friend of the Provencher family.
Roadblocks
Tuesday evening, a week to the day after Cedrika's disappearance, police set up five roadblocks in the area where the young girl was last seen. In all, more than 2000 people were questioned by the officers in an effort to glean some more information.
"The roadblocks took in mostly the people who traveled on these roads daily but who had not yet spoken to police. We're relatively satisfied with the operation, but it's too early to tell if the new leads will be of any use in the search efforts. In the meantime, divers are continuing to scour the bottom of the St-Maurice River," explains SQ spokesperson Isabelle Gendron.
The newspapers of Transcontinental Media join the people of Quebec in offering their support to the Provencher family.
Photo:Cédrika
@TB:Cédrika Provencher
9 nine years of age
Curly red hair and brown eyes
Height: 5 feet
Weight: 70 pounds
When last seen she was wearing a lime green sun dress. Anyone with information concerning her disappearance should call the SQ at 1-800-659-4264.
Steven Guilbeault - 
