Cristina Baites and her nine-year-old daughter, Gaia, were first-time participants in the Canadian Cancer Society's Colours of Hope Run.
They were among some 400 people who gathered at Moonlight Beach Saturday morning for the fourth annual event.
“We just wanted to come out and support all those people who have cancer, and to raise funds,” Cristina said. “Absolutely everybody these days knows someone who has been affected by cancer, and we just want to do our part and help everybody out.”
Gaia said she loved being doused in all the different colour.
“It was really, really fun, I loved it,” she said.
Cristina said next year she and Gaia will get more people, “all of our family, and come back to do more fundraising year after year.”
Shanna Crispo, community fundraising specialist for the Canadian Cancer Society, said what brings people to the Colours of Hope run is the fact it's a fun family event, it's not times, and there's no competition in it.
“It's a really fun event, and we love doing this in the fall, mainly because of all the colourful leaves on the trees, it just matches the theme of our colourful event,” Crispo said. “You're being splashed with colour, and you can't help but smile at the end of the race.”
At the start of the event, about $35,000 had been raised, with more expected to come in.
“That's amazing,” Crispo said. “The money raised will go toward Canada's most promising cancer research, as well as toward the services we provide to those living with cancer.”
