The second annual Walk Her Way 5k fundraiser is a walk or run fundraiser to support women fighting cancer, which allows people to participate from anywhere in Canada.
CEO Michelle Okere encourages anyone to participate or tell their friends about the initiative.
“It is a virtual event but we will have 5K routes set up in each of the three different communities, including Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, and Edmonton. We have trail sponsors for each of those locations. We also have local ambassadors who are past guests of Sorrentino’s House who are running those events in the different communities,” she says.
Compassion House provides a home away from home for women travelling for cancer care or treatments.
“We see about 350 to 400 women staying at Sorrentino’s Compassion House each year. We also see about 500 to 600 women that utilize our post-treatment programs and different forms of support annually,” she says.
Okere says that last year’s fundraiser was a little nerve-racking for her, but ultimately quite successful in her view.
“We weren’t really sure how things were going to go at first. Our goal was to raise $50,000 dollars and we ended up blowing that out of the water, bringing in $75,000. We have Syncrude as our title sponsor so we are really excited about that,” she says.
The cause of the fundraiser is something that touches Okere personalLy, as she knows people who have dealt with the disease.
“I grew up in small-town Saskatchewan and I have many family members who have been impacted by cancer. I lost my grandmother to cancer when I was about 12 years old. I also have a really good friend of mine who was diagnosed with cancer when she was 28. I saw her go through that entire process,” she adds.
Walk Her Way 5K runs from May 12th-15th, with the goal of raising $150,000. Anyone can register on the Compassion House website.