Community steps up at Run for the Cure '08

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

welliott@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

The Run for the Cure in Wolfville this fall raised over $55,000, which run director Allison Fuisz says was “an increase from last year by quite a bit. We expect the amount to increase as donations are accepted until Oct. 31.”

Fuisz said the run involved approximately 420 participants this year. “The event saw all ages walk, run, hop through the five-kilometre route across Wolfville.”

She noted, “we had a wonderful guest speaker, Louise Patterson, who was diagnosed with breast cancer nearly 50 years ago. Absolutely an incredible woman.

“Our volunteers included many local individuals from Acadia, Online Support, Wolfville residents as well as the following varsity teams at Acadia: cross-country, both men's and women's basketball and the women's soccer team.”

Run director for four years, Fuisz added that perfect weather was a bonus and “if it were not for the volunteers from CIBC we would have had a lot of work to do cleaning up. The community really stepped up this year in many ways.”

Participant Susan Markham Starr said she was able “to raise an amazing $2,130. It was a wonderful day for running for the cure.”

She added that her team, the Rose Buds, was quite large and ran “in memory of our colleague Kim Rose. The Rose Buds won the Friends and Family Team Challenge Award for raising well over $10,000 (possibly as high as $15,000 when all the donations are counted).”

Volunteer Suzanne Stewart says she wants to acknowledge the commitment that Fuisz has offered the run for the last five years.

“It was a pleasure to serve with her since 2004. The inaugural year (2003) was an undertaking by another young Acadia student, Chantel Saulnier, who left this legacy in the Valley in memory of her mother, whom she lost to breast cancer. I have been very proud to serve as Wolfville’s registration coordinator under these two vibrant, young women.”

Fuisz concluded by saying that without the donations of Staples, Acadia University and Chartwells, the event would not have been possible.