We did it! Muscular Dystrophy BC/Yukon just completed our first two Walk for Muscular Dystrophy events of the season- the Victoria Walk4MD and the Burnaby Safeway Walk4MD! They were was a big success, raising a combined total of over $70,000!

The Victoria Walk represented a major step for the BC team, it was the first Walk event organized by the team’s new Revenue Development Coordinator, Ethan Clow. It was also the first time the Victoria Walk took place at the University of Victoria.

It was also one of the few times the entire staff was on site for a walk, which made it one of the most fun Walks in recent memory!

The Walk took place on the beautiful campus of the University of Victoria, not far from Ring Road, which served as the walking route. This year’s Walk Ambassador, Emily Swain (read Emily’s story here) led the participants there and back again where guests were entertained by Thunder, the UVic mascot for the Vikes Athletics. As well as the expert emceeing by KiSS 101.3FM’s Brian Adam and future broadcasting star, Tristan Knapp-Fisher.

Guests enjoyed hot dogs, and complimentary massages from West Coast Message Therapy. Coffee drinkers were pleased to see Victoria’s own Serious Coffee had donated their fantastic brew. UVic also supplied the Walk with a water refilling station, ensuring an environmentally-friendly event. Additionally, the Victoria Parks & Environmental Services  provided free re-useable water bottles for our participants.

Thanks to the Royal BC Museum, we also had a door prize of a museum prize pack!

Also on hand: Three talented Magicians, Paul Kilshaw, Shaun’s King and Benoit L’Heureux. Volunteers from Island Savings with games for the kids, and our friends from VitalAire discussed our new partnership.

The Burnaby Walk is always it’s own unique challenge:  it’s the biggest and most organizationally challenging of our Walks, nevertheless our team came together like champions and it was one of the most well attended and successful Walk4MD events in years!

The Walk took place at the beautiful Central Park, located on Boundary Road. We had a bright, sunny and warm day for the festivities. This year’s Walk Ambassador, Dale McLeod (read Dale’s story here) led the participants through the park, returning for prizes and awards.

When guests returned from the Walk, we had a number of prizes donated by our local community, such as tickets to the Vancouver Aquarium, Science World and a gift package from David’s Tea.

Walks like these don’t happen without a lot of help. A big thank you goes to all our volunteers, specifically everyone who signed on to volunteer or answered our call for help! This includes Telus, who once again provided the Walk with volunteers from their community in Victoria and Burnaby.

Our point man in Victoria was Kerry Zado, a Fire Fighter Adviser and board member to Muscular Dystrophy Canada. He and his family did some amazing work helping us make this Walk happen.

We’d also like to extend thanks to Shawn Mohammed, our Fire Fighter Adviser for the Lower Mainland, as well as all the Fire Fighters who came out and made the day special!

We’d also like to extend our thanks to our sponsors for the Walks:

In Victoria: KiSS 103.1 FM, Ocean 98.5 FM, Boehringer Ingelheim, the University of Victoria, and the SSD (Society for Students with a Disability).

In Burnaby: Westjet ,  Boehringer Ingelheim , 102.7 The Peak, All Types Communication. We’d like to thank our friends from VitalAire for their support of Muscular Dystrophy Canada (learn more about that partnership here.) We are also very grateful to Safeway for their continued support of the Walks in Burnaby and Surrey.

Of course, a heart felt thanks to everyone who raised money for Muscular Dystrophy Canada! The funds that you all brought in will go to improving the lives of people and families with muscular dystrophy, helping with equipment purchases, emotional and financial support, and public education.

To see more pictures from the Victoria and Burnaby Walks, check out our Facebook Albums  (Victoria and Burnaby)  as well as our Instagram page.

See the totals below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fundraising Totals Victoria

Individuals

 

Emily Swain $2,220

Geoff Hollefreund  $1,450

Rich Fraser  $830

Val Clark  $661

Judith Brown  $520

Courtney Cameron $500

Brianne Anderson $485

Jadrian  Berkan  $390

Janet Eriksen-Miller $365

Tricia Schaddelee  $330

 

Teams

 

Arbutus Global Middle School $1,715

Shells-Bells  $1,110

Team Party Hardy $745

Team Super E $680

Andrea Anderson $520

Neil’s Team $485

Gabsdreamteam $340

Team Quinner $330

Shells-Bells $270

Stratford Family $50

 

Fundraising Totals Burnaby

Individuals

Marilyn Watson $1870

Dale McLeod  $1070

Rachel McRae $500

Karen Cook $250

Janet Clarke $225

Arlene McClean $200

Bonnie  Cook $140

Tessa McGregor $100

Ron Hill $100

Barbara McLeod $80

 

Teams

 

Thee Golden Sprits (Team Captain Alexander McCormack) $14,764

MMR & Friends (Team Captain Keith Martin) $13,954

Fill The Boot Troop (Team Captain Stephen Rysen) $8,693

HOTWHEELS (Team Captain Tamara Kosaba) $8,267

Team Alex Power (Team Captain Rob Power) $1,635

Team Robinson (Team Captain Toni Crickmore-Thompson) $1,135

Chilliwack Chargers (Team Captain Esther King) $858

The Mighty Muscles (Team Captain Hugo Landry) $500

Nikki (Team Captain Brookelynne Drews) $310

William Chan Shadow Tail (Team Captain William Chan) $300