18 Sep 2010 - 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Bayfront Park, , Hamilton, Ontario
On Saturday, September 18, 2010, MitoCanada had a fantastic turnout for our first “Running on Empty” Mito Family Walk at Bayfront Park in Hamilton, Ontario. Hundreds of Mito-affected families and supporters in Ontario turned out to enjoy a beautiful, fun-filled day.
The event raised close to $35,000 for MitoCanada! Thank you to all our supporters who joined us in person and who supported all the walkers. You are really helping to make a difference.
In the children’s area, staffed by a number of eager volunteers, the kids enjoyed face painting and a variety of games.
Back at the main gazebo, participants enjoyed a wide variety of fun activities… including a BarBQ lunch, donated chocolates by the handful for dessert, a penny auction with a huge number of fantastic gifts donated by so many supporters out there.
A silent auction was another great fundraiser, with some very popular items including jerseys and Maple Leafs tickets, among other things.
Hoping everyone has enjoyed their winnings from the penny and silent auctions – and a big thank you to all our donors!
The start of the actual walk was a very poignant moment… Two families in our MitoCanada community had lost their children to mitochondrial disease in the weeks before our Mito Awareness Week walk. The speeches from their families were very touching and inspire us to continue to work to support the families dealing with mito every day, and to do what we can to further awareness and research so other families no longer have to go through this.
Alexis’ brother Carter, and Tucker’s sisters Tori and Avery, cut the ribbon to start the walk, a fitting memorial to the siblings they had so recently lost.
Beautiful balloon release…
After the walk, balloons were released by the walk participants…
• Green balloons representing those affected by mitochondrial disease.
• White balloons representing hope for the future for those affected by mitochondrial disease.
• Hand-made tags were attached to the balloons so people could write a dedication or note to be released with the balloons.
•… and coloured balloons each in memory of one of the Mito Angels in our local community, those who have been lost to mitochondrial disease.
Note: balloons chosen were environmentally friendly – they are made of a bio-degradable material, and were released with short strings that prevent harm to wildlife when the balloons land.
