Annual Hike for Hospice in Sudbury
The annual Hike for Hospice event took place throughout the afternoon at Bell Park in Sudbury on Sunday.
Sunday’s rain didn’t stop dozens of people from gathering in memory of their loved ones who have passed away at the hospice (cut comma) while raising some much-needed funds for the Maison McCulloch Hospice.
"For me, it was my step-father (who) passed this past year. The people at the hospice, they were very kind, very helpful, thoughtful and I’m just trying to do my part by helping out," one of the participants told CTV News.
"I’m walking for my grandfather on my mom’s side, Henry. I really do miss him. I was really sad this morning. Thankfully, I have my friends and my family here," Cooper Didone, another participant, said.
Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger lost his father earlier this year to bone cancer, who spent the last two weeks of his life at the hospice.
Bigger said he will be forever thankful for the staff at the hospice.
"In the final days, he went to HSN and a week later, he was in the hospice. The staff at the hospice just bend over backwards to make that experience as good as an experience as possible and also the level of care for the patients is exceptional," Bigger said.
All funds raised at the event go toward operational expenses and organizers said the need is even greater due to the expansion at the facility.
"Only our nursing and PSW staff is funded by the ministry. We have to raise money for absolutely everything else, such as housekeeping and cleaning supplies, everything. So, this event is one of our biggest earners," Julie Aube, executive director at the Maison McCulloch Hospice, said.
"None of our services come at a cost. It’s free. And in order to keep it free and accessible to everyone, we rely heavily on community donations."
The goal for this year’s event was $150.000 and Sudbury Credit Union, the main sponsor of the event, kicked off the event with a $25,000 donation.
"Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather, but we’re hoping that people will still be making pledges for our hospice. Sudbury is very fortunate to have such a great foundation in our hospice in Sudbury where people can live out their final days," said Mimi Regimbal, CEO of Sudbury Credit Union.
The hospice needs to raise a total of $1.45 million to keep its doors open this year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.