Epilepsy agency hosting Grand Canyon climb to raise $45,000 to support families
Epilepsy Durham Region is gearing up to embark on an “epic” fundraiser next year to help support people living with a seizure disorder and their families — and it’s like no fundraiser the agency has ever had.
The agency recently announced that executive director Dianne McKenzie and partners Mike Finnegan of Pursuit Training and Ray Richardson of Motorcity Mitsubishi will join as many as 12 others in Arizona to climb the Grand Canyon in October 2014 to raise money to support families and to raise epilepsy awareness.
The goal is to raise $45,000, with every penny going to Lora’s Legacy Fund.
The fundraiser, called Epic Climb, will see participants scale 4,500 feet — equivalent to climbing the CN Tower 2 ½ times.
To prepare for the vigorous 12-hour climb, McKenzie and the four other people who have signed on for the event began training in October and will continue training for the next 11 months. She has already completed two 15-kilometre hikes and is working out twice per week.
Adding to the money raised by the climb, Epilepsy Durham Region outreach co-ordinator Jessica Scheffee will be running 21 kilometres Oct. 19 in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
McKenzie tells Voices of Epilepsy she’s looking forward to climbing the Grand Canyon.
“I am very excited about the awareness this will raise, and I think there is such great momentum happening in our province and in our country about epilepsy and this just takes us to a new level,” McKenzie says.
McKenzie adds that she’s encouraged by the interest the fundraiser is already gaining, noting when the agency hosted a press conference Dec. 3 to make the announcement one gentleman attending was so excited he signed up on the spot to join the climb.
“What’s most exciting is that he does not have a connection to epilepsy; that’s really inspiring,” McKenzie says.
In the past year, Epilepsy Durham Region has supported 39,000 individuals with epilepsy and their families, and Lora’s Legacy Fund has been a large part of that support. Money raised helps provide supports that are important to families, says Alex Shiels, whose seven-year-old son, Cameron, is living with enhanced quality of life after having brain surgery.
“It’s now time to raise awareness to a new level,” Shiels says. “Our son is now seizure free after having brain surgery, but his journey is far from over. Epilepsy Durham Region has been with us every step of the way.”
For more information or to register for the climb, please contact Epilepsy Durham Region at 905-430-3090, or visit www.epilepsydurham.com.
Writer: Deron Hamel
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