THUNDER BAY – The pandemic may have lowered participation in Hospice Northwest’s signature fundraiser, but the Thunder Bay community still came with enough donations to keep its fundraising total near pre-COVID levels.
The Hike for Hospice walk held on Sunday brought in at least $63,000, organizers said, with donations still coming in on Monday – easily topping the $55,000 goal.
That nearly matched a $67,000 fundraising total in 2019, despite the number of participants falling from pre-COVID levels of 350 to around 110 this year.
Donations had come from across the region, including a team in Marathon that raised $1,400, said Hospice Northwest executive director Cherie Kok.
“What that means is we’ll be able to serve more people with grief and bereavement programs,” she said. “We’ll be able to offer more programs, we’ll be able to train our volunteers more [fully]. It just means a whole lot to our organization.”
The 10th annual Hike for Hospice kicked off with a virtual meet-up on Zoom Sunday morning. Participants were free to choose their own walking route, though many chose to walk at Boulevard Lake, where the event is usually held, in their own groups.
The walk is a chance to honour those passed, and be reminded those left behind are not alone in their grief, said honourary chair family the Kortes-Millers.
“It provides us with the chance to think about those people that have died that meant something to us,” said Kathy Kortes-Miller. “It’s a coming together as a community, even virtually.”
Many stopped by the wall of remembrance, commissioned by Hospice Northwest and installed in 2020, to tie ribbons in remembrance of loved ones.
Participants also followed the tradition of dropping a flower in the lake or another body of water to commemorate the departed.
