Leo Therrien, executive director of Maison Vale Inco Hospice, announced to the several hundred people attending the May 2 event that the event had actually raised $76,000.
The money raised through the Hike for Hospice, which was held in Bell Park, goes towards the $700,000 which needs to be fundraised each year to pay for the hospice's operating costs. Northern Life was one of the sponsors of the event.
The 10-bed hospice has been open for about a year and a half. In the last year, 126 people have passed away there, Therrien said.
Friends and family members of Dan Deguire were among about 500 people who participated in the RBC Hike for Hospice event in Bell Park May 2. Top row, from left, are Stephanie Morin, Lynn Moncion, Chris Deguire, Jason Deguire, Gisèle Lavallée, Yvonne Moncion and Carol Deguire. Bottom row, from left, are Guinness the dog, Chantal Raymond, Christine Moncion and Ashley Gonzalez. Missing from the photo are Keirsten Deguire, Dan Moncion and Sebastien Moncion. Photo by Heidi Ulrichsen
Besides acting as a fundraising event, the RBC Hike for Hospice helps families deal with the grieving process, Therrien said.
Many family groups were at the event, wearing t-shirts bearing photos of loved ones who have died at the hospice. The first names of those who have died in the hospice over the past year were read out loud before the walk began.
Christine Moncion, along with a group of family members, attended the event in memory of her uncle, Dan Deguire, who died of pancreatic cancer in the hospice in May 2009.
The family wore purple t-shirts bearing the words “Team Dan's Auto,” because Deguire was the owner of Dan's Auto on The Kingsway.
"We just wanted to give back to the hospice because of everything they've done for us in a time of need,” she said. “We wanted to give back to other families. We hope they can experience what we did at the hospice. The level of palliative care there was phenomenal.”
