THUNDER BAY – As walkers crossed the Black Bay Bridge they paused to drop flowers that drifted on wind to the cascading waters of Current River below to honour the memory of a loved one before continuing on in support help those who provide end-of-life care.
The eighth Annual Hike for Hospice was held at Boulevard Lake on Sunday in support of Hospice Northwest.
Cherie Kok, executive director with Hospice Northwest, said the annual walk is the biggest fundraiser for the organization.
“It is very vital for us to raise a lot of money,” she said. “We have 188 volunteers. We are a hospice without walls so all of our services are provided in people’s homes, in hospitals, and we just really value the fundraising we do from today’s walk.”
Last year, Hike for Hospice walks raised more than $3 million nation-wide and $45,000 locally.
The goal this year was to have 30 teams, 300 walkers, and raise $50,000. On the day of the walk, more than $58,000 had been raised already and more than 300 walkers had registered.
“Thunder Bay is unbelievably generous,” Kok said. “To be honest, before we even came to the walk today, we raised $58,000 and today we will add to that. Thunder Bay is extremely generous and we are thrilled with the results today.”
Robin Cano, a former board member for Hospice Northwest, was back at the walk on Sunday and she said it is important to help the many volunteers throughout Northwestern Ontario who help people live well until they die.
But the walk is also about starting a conversation around death and end-of-life care, and Cano is encouraged to see so many young people participating in the annual walk and not shying away from those conversations.
“It’s really important that we are able to normalize death and dying in our community and be able to have those conversations so that people don’t feel death-denying and are able to live their life to the fullest until they die,” Cano said.
“I really think it would be very gratifying for folks in that position to see that it isn’t really a thing we talk about so much but how that conversation is coming along to allow people to be able to talk about some of those things they are feeling or going through.”
Walkers were also invited to tie a ribbon to the new Remembrance Wall located along the walking path at Boulevard Lake and flowers were released at the bridge over Current River.
“It’s also a bit of a memorial service for folks who maybe have lost somebody this year or in the past who they really want to honour and remember them,” Kok said. “This is the hike for anyone who has lost a loved one.”
