The 11th annual Wounded Warrior Run B.C., with eight runners covering 800 kilometres in eight days, had raised just shy of $188,000 by Wednesday — but it’s not finished yet.
The campaign, hosted by Wounded Warriors Vancouver Island, will continue to fundraise until the end of March, in hopes of hitting the $200,000 mark by March 31.
Its previous record of $190,000 was set in 2020, when the run finished about a week before the COVID lockdown.
The event was cancelled in 2021 and resumed in 2022.
“At that time, many of the Legions opened their doors for the first time since COVID to welcome our team. That speaks volumes to the power of this run and the connections we have to the communities,” said Jacqueline Zweng, ambassador for Wounded Warrior Canada Victoria.
“I think this year it was evident that COVID is much further in the rear view and our resilient communities are bouncing back.”
The run began in 2013 with two Canadian Armed Forces members, and is now the largest fundraising event for Wounded Warriors Vancouver Island.
Participants are drawn from a cross-section of people who have service-related duties — members of the armed forces, police officers, firefighters, paramedics and service-dog handlers.
The relay-style run started on Feb. 25 in Port Hardy, with the team stopping at local Legions, community halls and ambulance, fire and police stations along the route. The run ended with a ceremony at Market Square on March 3.
Funds raised will go toward programs and services for veterans, law enforcement members and first responders suffering from operational stress injuries, which include post-traumatic stress and anxiety disorders.
The event is also an opportunity to raise awareness and further the conversation about mental health in the sector.
• For more information, or to donate, go to woundedwarriorrunbc.ca.
>>> United Way's It's All in Your Head campaign
United Way Southern Vancouver Island has just launched It’s All in Your Head, a springtime mental-health campaign that aims to de-stigmatize mental health by fostering open conversations and dispelling myths.
“We cannot afford to dismiss mental-health challenges as figments of imagination or personal weaknesses,” said Erika Stenson, executive director of United Way Southern Vancouver Island.
“These struggles are real, complex and deserving of empathy and support, like any other medical condition, so let’s create a society where seeking help for mental health is not only accepted but encouraged.”
According to the social services organization, 800,000 people — or 17 per cent of the population of B.C — deal with mental-health issues every day, but social pressures and misconceptions often lead to the stigmatization of those seeking help.
Proceeds collected through the campaign, which runs until April 12, will go toward a region-wide network of agencies that provide relief and work on long-term solutions for people dealing with mental-health and addictions challenges.
United Way Southern Vancouver Island supports 31 mental-health and addictions programs run by local agencies from Sooke to Oak Bay to Saltspring Island.
Donations made before March 31 will have double the impact, with matching up to $17,000 thanks to an anonymous donor and Knappett Projects.
For more information, go to uwsvi.ca/itsallinyourhead.
>>> Fundraising for Victoria Hospitals Foundation
Save-On-Foods has exceeded its goal for a three-year pledge to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.
In 2020, the grocery chain pledged to raise $300,000 for the Vancouver Island-based foundation over three years. When the pledge ended in December 2023, they discovered that they had raised more than $305,000.
Eight local stores were part of the fundraising drive, which involved donations at the till, barbecues and draws.
The employee-led campaign saw each store creating teams with competitions to see which location could raise the most funds.
“At Save-On-Foods, we are proud to support our communities and the causes that are important to our customers and our team members,” said Roger Junker, regional director for Save-On-Foods stores on Vancouver Island. “We are so proud of the support our customers and team members showed the Victoria Hospitals Foundation throughout Heart Month in February. Every dollar donated makes a difference in our pledge to support local experts to provide critical healthcare needs for everyone who calls Vancouver Island home.”
Save-On-Foods has raised just more than $407,000 in support of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation since 2019.
For more information, or to donate, go to victoriahf.ca.
>>> Defending against fraud
Every year, tens of thousands of Canadian seniors fall victim to fraud through phone calls, the so-called grandparent scam, phishing emails and door-to-door swindles.
The Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation is hosting The Space Between, a play that both entertains and informs seniors on how to protect themselves from scammers and fraudsters, at the Yakimovich Wellness Centre on Wednesday, March 13.
The free performance and workshop is a joint presentation of Target Theatre and Det. Const. Berle Zwaan of Saanich police, who specializes in financial crimes and fraud prevention.
Target Theatre’s mission is to provide a voice for older people using theatre, and the event is meant to initiate conversations on senior safety and scam prevention.
The presentation is part of the Eldercare Foundation’s Embrace Aging Month, March 13 to April 18, with a dozen senior-focused workshops and a 55-plus lifestyle show.
Topics covered in the workshops range from improving strength and balance to prevent falls, advance care planning and a workshop on journal writing.
The Eldercare Foundation is a social services organization dedicated to enhancing care and improving the quality of life for older adults on Vancouver Island.
The Space Between and the workshop following is free to attend, but registration is required. It runs 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. March 13 at the Yakimovich Wellness Centre, 1454 Hillside Ave. For more information, or to register, got to gvef.org/embraceaging.
>>> Bungee jumping charity event
Naked bungee jumpers who braved the snow and cold at the 2024 WildPlay Naked Bungy fundraiser last weekend raised $87,000 for mental-health recovery programs.
Participants in the WildPlay Nanaimo event could jump for $55 or free if they raised a minimum of $200 in pledges for Mental Health Recovery Partners South Island. Many far exceeded that minimum.
A long-standing anonymous donor then matched all donations and pledges.
Participants came from all over Vancouver Island and even other parts of Canada for the event, now in its 18th year. There was even a carload from Montana.
Many shared stories of personal mental-health journeys and those of loved ones, for whom they jumped. One couple was celebrating the anniversary of their first date, which was at a previous Naked Bungy jump.
“A bungy jump is a life-changing experience — the transformation in an individual after their first jump is immediately palpable. We see jumpers returning year after year for more,” said Janine Theobald, a jumper and executive director at Mental Health Recovery Partners South Island.
Proceeds from the two-day event will help pay for the delivery of low-barrier and accessible mental-health recovery programs by the non-profit society throughout the year.
The annual fundraiser has raised $587,000 over the last 18 years.
For more information, go to mhrp.ca.
