September 9, 2016
Mark Edmunds, left, and his 10-year-old daughter Meagan drum up some wellness at last year’s South Health Campus Family Fun Walk and Run.
Story Kerri Robins; photo courtesy Jodi Thesenvitz
CALGARY — Close to 300 participants laced up Sept. 10 for the third annual South Health Campus (SHC) five- and 10-km family walk and run here.
The staff-led event ─ open to the public as well ─ involved about 20 staff teams from various units who joined together to raise more than $14,000 for their areas. The first-place team, The Ring of Fire, raised $6008, with Code Runners Beep Beep (Emergency Department) second with $3691 and Acetawinophen (Pharmacy) third with $1,000.
For Yvonne Luu, unit manager of the hospital’s Women and Children’s Health Unit, the event is a fun way to engage in some friendly competition with colleagues.
“This event is a great morale builder because it brings out some real team spirit and everyone is motivated toward contributing to the same cause,” she says.
Luu’s team has also raised $5,323 this year through a big bake sale and raffle draws.
“We will be putting this money toward an expansion of our triage area within the single room maternity care unit,” says Luu.
About 20 people on Luu’s unit fundraising team raced this year.
Luu’s team competed with a team in emergency to see who raises the most funds for their unit. The highest fundraising team receives $1,000, second place receives $500 and third place receives $250.
The five- and 10-km walk or run was open to all ages and started immediately after the 100-metre kids dash. People were able to also take part in healthy cooking demos, child minding (for children six months of age and older), family zumba, active family yoga and meditation, and art and wellness.
“This is our signature event and it fits perfectly with our four foundational pillars at South Health Campus,” says Joanne Cabrera, SHC Executive Director and executive sponsor of the event.
The pillars include wellness, innovation, patient- and family-centred care, and collaboration.
Cabrera says working with community partners – the Calgary Health Trust and the event sponsor, Auburn Heights Retirement Residence – is a great way to not only promote the SHC, but get both public and staff participating in a healthy activity.
Raising more than $52,370 over the last two years, the fun run is $10 to register and admission to a kids zone is free. Cabrera says she enjoys working with a team at the SHC, and community partners including Nutrition and Culinary Solutions, and the Calgary Public Library.
“It’s a great team effort and I look forward to this event every year,” says Cabera. “We are especially thankful for the support of our sponsors at the Auburn Heights Retirement Residence who have contributed $3,000.”
Calgary Health Trust CEO Jill Olynyk is excited to be involved in this great initiative again.
“It is so great to see the passion and enthusiasm for health care from the staff and community,” she says. “Events like these are a great opportunity for the community to learn about what is happening at the hospital and get involved in advancing care for all those living in the community.”
