Whether it’s funding a long-anticipated trip to Disneyland or renovating a house for wheelchairs, Help Fill a Dream is there with its running shoes.
Craig Smith, executive director of Help Fill A Dream Foundation in Victoria, said his organization has, for the past three years, entered a team in the TC 10K. And team members have used the event to collect pledges and raise money for the organization.
“Team members can get their own fundraising pages and collect pledges and it can turn the run into something significant,” said Smith in a telephone interview.
The TC 10K, celebrating its 26th anniversary this year, has quickly become a yearly draw for runners, from serious competitors to the recreational set. It now attracts thousands every year, second only to the Vancouver Sun Run.
And its course is No. 1 in terms of natural beauty and vistas. The last half of the TC 10K puts racers along Dallas Road, from Fairfield around Ogden Point into downtown on Belleville Street, next to the Inner Harbour.
In addition to its namesake 10-kilometre race, it features a point-to-point half marathon, a wheelchair race and a walkers’ category. For people with little kids, there is even the 1.5-kilometre family run/walk, sponsored by Thrifty Foods.
Help Fill A Dream helps Vancouver Island families fulfil a special wish for those younger than 19 dealing with a life-threatening disease, injury or condition.
For example, this year’s Help Fill a Dream TC 10K team is captained by a woman whose family was granted a trip to Disneyland before her brother died of a brain tumor.
Help Fill a Dream fulfils about 10 of those special requests every year. But Smith said just as important are the 100-odd other requests under what the foundation calls “quality of life” and “family assistance” categories.
For example, the foundation might help a family install a special bed or a patient-lift apparatus. Or it might adjust walls or doors to make a house more wheelchair-friendly.
Or it could help a family deal with expenses that emerge suddenly after a diagnosis, including ferry costs or hotel expenses in Vancouver while a child is at B.C. Children’s Hospital.
Help Fill a Dream even supplies meal vouchers for nurses and social workers to hand to worried parents.
“They can say to a mom or dad, ‘Go and have a coffee at Tim Hortons’ or ‘Grab a bite in the cafeteria and take a break,’ ” said Smith.
“That moment can mean as much as a trip to Disneyland.”
This year’s Help Fill a Dream Team has only 11 members signed up to run in the TC 10K. That’s down from last year, when the organization fronted a team of 30.
Smith said it’s a “Victoria phenomenon” to always wait until the last minute to register for an event. So more may sign up.
But he also said this year’s team captain is well on her way to her personal goal of $4,000 in donations. And that will best last year’s team total of just over $3,000.
“Sometimes it’s not the quantity but the motivation of the people on the team,” said Smith.
For more information on the TC10K, go to tc10k.ca.
