As a way to help raise awareness and provide advocacy for end-of-life care in Cochrane and surrounding communities, the Cochrane Hospice Society is gearing up to host their annual Hike for Hospice event this Sunday.
All members of the community are invited to lace up their walking shoes and converge in Mitford Park for the hike on May 7. The event starts at 10 a.m. and participants are asked to gather at the stage prior to embarking.
President of the Cochrane Hospice Society, Ozzie Sawicki, said alongside many other events the society hosts, their end goal with the yearly hike is to help raise awareness for the many end-of-life care options available to members of the community.
“Its intent is to make people aware of end-of-life care, hospice and palliative options that people have,” he said. “We’re very much an advocacy education group that [is] available to them in the health-care system or care system.”
The hike consists of a five-kilometre round-trip that starts and ends at Mitford Park.
Registration opens at 9:45 a.m., with the hike lasting from 10 a.m. until noon. After the hike, there will be a barbecue lunch consisting of burgers and hotdogs for participants.
Donations will also be accepted for those who wish to support the event financially. Donations can be submitted online or in-person on the day of the event.
“The main goal is just to get people out in numbers, just to advocate for end-of-life care in Cochrane and area,” Sawicki said.
The society president said he looks forward to seeing plenty of Cochranites come out to participate, and he anticipates between 25 and 35 hikers will take part in the event, made up of members with a goal in mind to educate others.
“Part of our goal now is to create additional awareness so that people understand what resources are out there and what information is out there,” Sawicki said. “We are all in the same boat; at some point in our lives, we are all dealing with someone that is near end-of-life or has passed away, and we’re all ourselves going to be preparing for that journey at some point.”
Sawicki said the event is a great weekend morning activity for everyone to enjoy and invites anyone who may be interested to participate.
“It’s a great event to come out to and people have a lot of fun,” Sawicki said. “There’s a lot of laughter and storytelling, and it goes on in the morning, so it’s an excellent event and it’s for all age groups as well.”
The society also hosts a weekly non-professional support walk every Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the SLS Centre. Depending on the weather, that walk is either conducted outdoors or inside on the running track.
For more information on the Cochrane Hospice Society and how to donate, please visit Cochranehospicesociety.ca.
