About 100 balloons rose into the skies above Trois Rivieres, Que. as hundreds turned up to support the Provencher family by marking the 10th birthday of their missing daughter Cedrika.

The balloons carried messages, such as "Happy birthday Cedrika, hope to see you soon."

Family members choked back tears at the sight on Wednesday. Martin Provencher, Cedrika's father, released a white dove, as did nine other close family members.

"She is 10 years old today. She's not here, she's somewhere else," Louise Provencher, the girl's grandmother, told CTV Montreal. "We want to do something for her. When she'll be back, we'll do something else."

Father Martin Provencher had nothing special planned.

"I think emotionally today I'm going to hold back a little," the 35-year-old told The Canadian Press.

He maintains hope that Cedrika will be found: "Why should I lose it? I have nothing to date that makes me give up hope."

He noted that one missing child was found after seven years. "A month is long but we don't lose hope."

Besides Wednesday being her birthday, Cedrika would have begun Grade 5 classes.

One parent with children enrolled at Cedrika's school said the hope is to keep attention focused on the search for the little girl.

"I've got a little girl of the same age and I would be very sad if that happened to her," Monique Jutras told CTV Montreal.

Cedrika has been missing since July 31. She vanished in Trois-Rivieres after heading out for a bike ride, triggering a frantic search that has turned up few solid clues about the missing girl's whereabouts.

Police say Cedrika told someone she was helping a man search for a lost dog, but investigators still have no suspects and have not released a composite sketch.

A task force comprised of Quebec and Trois-Rivieres police has been following up on tips from the public.

While more than 3,000 calls have come in since Cedrika went missing, and police continue to take in as many as 50 calls per day, few solid leads have developed.

In one of the sightings, which police have described as credible, a witness reported seeing the girl with a man in Quebec's Gaspe region.

The girl's family recently enlisted the help of Quebec crime reporter Claude Poirier to act as an intermediary. Poirier said he has received 125 calls, some of which he said are interesting.

The family has offered an $80,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest, and has promised no questions will be asked of anyone who provides the necessary information.

On his call-in TV show on Wednesday, Poirier blasted those who were contacting him with things like astrology charts for the girl.

"Stop calling me for advice," he said. "I'm waiting for calls with specific information."

A team of psychologists is on hand at Cedrika's school to help other students deal with the disappearance of their classmate.

Outside the school, police gave information to parents on how their children can protect themselves against kidnappers.

However, the fear remains for some.

"When I see a car, a driver alone, I always look at them, always," said Gerald Jomphre, a grandfather.

With reports from CTV Montreal's Paul Karwatsky and Annie DeMelt