Published in The BANAR November 2006
By Bill Horne
On a glorious fall day, well over one hundred adults, kids, dogs and strollers ran and walked the scenic 5k course, bringing in over $13,000 for the annual CIBC Breast Cancer Run for the Cure. Well, O.K., we lied a bit. The weather was not great that day. It was rainy and cool, but the community spirit was infectious and the money raised set a new record. So it was a glorious day after all.
Organizing committee chair Lynn Sewell said, thanks to the great community spirit in the Hamlet, the generosity of our business people, and a hard-working committee, the local Run for the Cure keeps getting bigger and better every year. This time, due to our partnership with Freedom 55 Financial, approximately $6,000 raised by its employees and supporters will be matched by Freedom 55 Financial, resulting in an overall total of some $19,000.
It was especially inspiring to see several pink t-shirts among the crowd, signifying breast cancer survivors. Participants were treated to refreshments compliments of Loeb Blackburn Hamlet before the Run, and to a great spread of pastries and fruit afterwards, supplied by the Blackburn Arms Pub Restaurant. Runners and walkers enjoyed water from Shoppers Drug Mart, and other significant corporate donors included Lafarge Canada Inc.
The raffle produced several dozen prizes, thanks to the generosity of the following: Innes Road Chiropractic, Blackburn Dental Centre, Queens Pharmacy, J&S Service Station, Subway, Charlie’s Barber Shop, Jumbo Restaurant, Blackburn Massage Therapy, Blackburn Pharmacy, Dr. Bruce Harfield, Videoflicks, Thomas Cook Travel, Blackburn Physiotherapy, Imilio’s Pizza, Spic & Span Cleaners, Unisex Hair and Nails, Joe’s Auto Repair, Budd’s Gardens, and George’s Barber Shop. Innes Ward Councillor Rainer Bloess also contributed several raffle prizes.
We are most grateful to the BCA webmaster, Helen Rosseau, for her untiring work in keeping our event coverage up to date, and the vast number of pictures she took. We appreciate the coverage in the Banar, thanks to editor Evelyn Budd.
Blackburn Hamlet residents and others can look forward to another Run for the Cure next September 30, 2007 as we fight to overcome this terrible disease that affects one in eight Canadian women.