More than 100 Peninsula residents laced up their runners and braved the heat last Sunday for the annual Hike for Hospice.
Hosted by the White Rock South Surrey Hospice Society at Blackie Spit Park, the May 5 fundraiser brought in $20,000 benefitting the numerous free programs and services offered to the community.
Funds from this year’s hike will go towards bolstering programs for children who have suffered the loss of someone close to them, said society executive director Catherine Ferguson.
“Kids in our community are going to school feeling isolated,” she said. “I think it’s really important work. Not only is there an immediate benefit, but the long-term benefit to the community of teaching them that grief and death is a normal part of life (leads to) strong adults and leaders in our community, and I believe it helps develop empathy.”
Also high on the list is the society’s care centre, which Ferguson noted did not receive any funding from the province.
She added that the society is in the process of putting together a plan to move forward with building a supportive care centre in the community.
For more information on the hospice, visit www.whiterockhospice.org
