The Hospice raised over $245,000 following a successful Hike for Bethell Hospice last month.
Over 400 community-minded individuals gathered in the Village of Inglewood to hike the Caledon Trailway to raise money for the organization’s foundation.
“We are truly humbled by the support received from our hikers, sponsors, donors, volunteers and student participants,” said Kelly Stronach, the foundation’s director of marketing and communications.
“The community has been incredibly supportive, and we are very appreciative.”
Several local Caledon public schools participated in the hike as part of Peel District School Board’s Education Week, hosting a ‘Student Hike for Bethell Hospice.’ Stronach said the efforts of 5,400 students, parents and staff shouldn’t go unnoticed.
“We had twelve schools that helped us. Last year we only had five. They had their own hike and raised over $22,000.”
She added it created awareness among the students and teachers.
“This girl came up to us at one school and she said she was hiking for her grandpa. I asked what his name was and she said Grandpa Steve. It meant something to her and she said he was at the hospice. It does create awareness with the students,” said Stronach.
The event featured an accessible, five-kilometre hike along the Caledon Trailway, a memory board of heart stickers dedicated to loved ones, a barbecue lunch prepared by Maple Lodge Farms and the Rotary Club of Palgrave, and an opportunity for hikers to visit the art station to personalize a velum butterfly or plant a wildflower seed in memory of a loved one.
Each year the foundation must raise over $1.7 million to keep the doors of Bethell Hospice open and provide services at no cost to residents and families. It is the only hospice residence serving Caledon, Brampton, and Dufferin County. Stronach said the province should invest more money into hospices which would save the health care system money.
“It’s about a third of the cost of a hospital stay. It’s kind of a mystery.”
Next year’s hike is scheduled for Sunday, May 4.
