THUNDER BAY – Organizers of this year’s Hike for Hospice kept their expectations low, knowing COVID-19 would present challenges to the annual fundraiser. They were pleasantly surprised by Sunday’s results.
The event, usually held in May, was roughly on track to match last year’s fundraising total of $67,000 by mid-afternoon, despite participation dropping by more than half.
The outcome demonstrated the community’s generosity and commitment to the cause, organizers said. Proceeds from the event support the work of Hospice Northwest, which provides end-of-life support to hundreds of local residents and their families.
“Thunder Bay has a giant heart, honestly,” said Hospice Northwest executive director Cherie Kok. “I think people understand charities are going to be struggling this year more than ever. We couldn’t be more appreciative.”
The virtual format drew fewer participants, though it provided an opportunity for people to join from as far afield as Austria and the United States.
The funds will provide a boost to the organization as it begins resuming much of its traditional work with the slight easing of COVID-19 restrictions. The agency has been able to start sending some volunteers back into long-term care homes over the past two weeks, while some home visits resumed over the summer, Kok said.
About 150 walkers participated in the virtual Hike for Hospice Sunday. Walkers could hike from a location of their choosing; many chose to start at the recently installed wall of remembrance on the shores of Boulevard Lake, where volunteers welcomed them with ribbons and flowers.
By mid-afternoon Sunday, the fundraising of $65,000 total sat just shy of last year’s figure. That’s despite participation dropping from around 350 walkers to 150 this year.
Funds are raised through a combination of pledges, a 50/50 draw, and an online auction.
The event, in its ninth year, is more than a fundraiser, Kok noted. It offers a chance for those who have lost loved ones, particularly over the past year, to honour their memory. Walkers tied ribbons bearing the names of those passed onto the wall of remembrance, and cast flowers into the water.
Shane Judge, who has chaired the event for several years, said the funds raised are critical to the care volunteers provide.
“It’s a volunteer organization, but there’s a lot of training involved,” he explained. “People have to be trained to sit down with people who are in the final stages of their life, and you’ve got to know what you’re doing. You can upset an aging, ill person if you don’t.”
Hospice Northwest fills a major gap recognized as crucial by health care professionals and community, he said – providing comfort to those in need.
“Far too many people in Thunder Bay were dying without anybody to hold their hand, to do a little chore for them if they needed help, as they were going through the last stages of life.”
