Twenty-three Avon Trail hikers took part in the 5th Annual Hike for Hospice held in Stratford on Sunday, June 2. Another five members took part but under a different team name.
It was a beautiful, sunny, yet cool day full of happy supporters. Hikers walked 5 km around the streets of Stratford, including a tour of the partially finished (Hospice) and a barbeque lunch.
With only a portion of the costs to operate a hospice covered by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Stratford Perth Hospice Foundation must continue to host fundraisers to cover the roughly $700,000 in annual operational costs, including non-nursing staff, facility maintenance and supplies, resident meals, volunteer training, and community outreach.
This year, organizers hope to raise more than $50,000 for those costs through Hike for Hospice. The Avon Trail Hikers team raised over $1,000 towards this goal.
Hospice construction is on tract to be completed by the end of June 2019.