Mother of Candace Wynne Derksen

In November 1984 Wilma and Cliff Derksen’s 13-year-old daughter, Candace, went missing on her way home from school in Winnipeg, Canada. It wasn’t until 22 years later that Mark Edward Grant was charged with her murder. In 2011, after a five-week trial, he was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years without parole.  The case has gone through an appeal process, a retrial and ended with an acquittal, October 18,2017.

"It's been 25 years since Candace Derksen was found murdered. Abducted on her way home from school in December 1984, the 13-year-old's body was found seven weeks later.
Derksen's teenage face will be forever ingrained in the memory of many Winnipeg residents who remember the missing-person posters and media coverage.
But Candace left an even bigger legacy. Her mother, Wilma Derksen, and supporters established Child Find Manitoba, which helps other families suffering the heartbreak of a missing child. The non-profit agency has since helped thousands of families and developed innovative programs such as Cybertip.ca and Kids in the Know, which have expanded across Canada.  " Erin Madden Volunteer

Candace Derksen Fund

We began this fund in 2000 to encourage and continue the legacy of our daughter, Candace Derksen, who was murdered in 1984.  
The idea of this fund was initiated by prisoners serving life sentences who wanted to show their remorse to society by raising funds to help victims of crime set up healing programs. We felt that this gesture was in keeping with Candace’s spirit of love.
Candace simply loved people, all people. In fact, during her school years, the teachers often place Candace beside the "bullies" as they were known, in the classroom because she created a space of acceptance and joy. Her love seemed to have no bounds especially as a teen when her friends became extremely important to her.
​The theme song of her life remains, “Friends are Friends Forever.”  Since then through the contribution of others, the fund has grown and now encompasses other legacies that continue to promote the spirit of Candace. Your gift will support a diverse variety of charitable efforts in Winnipeg which are devoted to promoting the spirit of Candace’s legacy as listed below.

​“Farewell is said by the living, in life, every day. It is said with love and friendship, with the affirmation that the memories are lasting even if the flesh is not.” 
R.A Salvatore

Have you seen Candace?

This was the first book I wrote.  It begins the day Candace disappeared and ends with the anniversary of that day. It chronicles the entire story in detail, following the anger, the guilt and the fears. It ends with the profound realization that after everything is said and done, I needed to deal with my own guilt for not picking Candace up from school that fateful day she was abducted. 

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Dispelling the Clouds

This second book I wrote on this event in our lives tells the story of how we had to live with the choices we made right at the beginning --  always wondering where it would lead. Encountering the clouds of trauma on the day her body was found, we chose the word forgiveness to see us through. Only after did we realize that we had chosen a controversial often misunderstood word. However it gave us the power to dispel the dark trauma clouds that haunted us.

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For more information  visit  https://www.candacederksen.com/