People can once again hike wherever they want while supporting the Quesnel and District Hospice Palliative Care Association (QDHPCA).
This year’s Hike for Hospice will be held virtually from Monday, May 2, to Sunday, May 8.
“There is still Covid out there, and I think it’s a lot easier to set it up virtually and host it online than organizing a get-together and putting all the Covid protocols and safety in place,” said QDHPCA executive director Suzannah Meir.
“Maybe next year it will be the normal one.”
This will mark the second consecutive year the Hike for Hospice has gone virtual. Meir called last year’s hike a huge success, noting they raised over $11,000, and believes this year will be no different after the pandemic-created challenges.
A Hike for Hospice was cancelled in 2020 and the QDHPCA’s annual gala that raises thousands of dollars every February around Valentine’s Day has not been held for the past two years.
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“I think it has been hard on the community to miss the gala and Hike for Hospice,” Meir said.
“When we could do it virtually, I think it definitely helps increase that community morale and give them hope that someday things will be back to normal.”
A pledge campaign for Quesnel Hike for Hospice is underway.
All funds raised support QDHPCA programming, volunteer training and the purchasing of equipment to support families and patients facing end-of-life care.
Such equipment includes a specialized mattress for GR Baker Hospital and a specialized wheelchair for bed-ridden patients, Meir said.
After the Hike for Hospice wraps up, Meir hinted the QDHPCA could hold another online twelve-day dessert auction after nearly $7,000 was raised in February.
“That went really well, but after the hike, we’ll have to go back to the drawing board and figure out where we go from there,” she said.
For more information on this year’s Hike for Hospice in Quesnel, visit the QDHPCA on Facebook or online at www.qdhpca.org/hike-for-hospice.
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Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: rebecca.dyok@quesnelobserver.com
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