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CHARITYISSUE
HOW THE SPORTING LIFE 10K HAS
OPENED THE WORLD UP TO CHILDREN
WITH CANCER BY ANDREW CHAK
It was my first race and I was scared. I’d never run
the full distance of a 10K before. But five years
ago, I participated in the Sporting Life 10K and
overcame the fear of not knowing what my body
could do. I ran, walked, ran again, and finished to
medals, cheers and bagels. The race was a personal
victory for me, but I learned that this race
meant so much more.
The Sporting Life 10K has raised $12.5-million
for Camp Ooch, which runs year-round
programs for kids with cancer in Muskoka, The
Hospital for Sick Children and at Ooch Downtown.
Jean Paul Corbeil, director of marketing
for Sporting Life says, “Since the beginning, it
has meant the world to us. The idea of children
affected by this dreaded disease would have an
opportunity to go to a camp where they could
receive on-site medical care and enjoy the simple
traits of camp is an incredible vision.”
Recent economic challenges,
however, have put a damper on
fundraising efforts says David
Hessekiel, president of Cause
Marketing Forum. In 2015, fundraising
amongst Canada’s 30
largest peer-to-peer fundraising
programs, which include many
running events, saw an 8.6%
year-over-year decline in fundraising
revenues. “A very low
percentage of participants in
these types of races actually fundraise,” says Hessekiel.
“Most are there to run, not to fundraise.”
Camp Ooch, however, slightly bucks the
trend. “With most races, 5% of the participants
fundraise; with the Sporting Life 10K, we’ve seen
8%,” says Cory Freedman, race director for the
Sporting Life 10K. “Last year, we lowered our
registration cap to 23,000 participants and we
were able to raise more money with less people.”
One of the largest individual running events
in Canada, the Sporting Life 10K aspires to be
the race that provides the largest net proceeds to
charity. Organizers also find ways to introduce
Camp Ooch’s children to runners.
“Our medals are given out by Ooch campers
and their family members as a way of saying
thank you,” Freedman says. “Our 10K has become
a celebration.”
I QUICKLY
LEARNED THAT
THIS RACE
REPRESENTS
A VICTORY OVER
SO MUCH MORE.
5,373
Amount raised
worldwide
from the
Terry Fox Run
KILOMETRES TERRY FOX RAN
331
1,400
Communities raised
$33 million for the
Canadian Cancer
Society’s Relay for
Life in 2105
83
Percentage of
children who
now survive at
least five years
after their cancer
diagnosis, thanks
to fundraising
efforts of
Canadian Cancer
Society and
Relay for Life.
RESEARCH PROJECTS HAVE BEEN FUNDED THROUGH
RUN FOR THE CURE AND THE CANADIAN BREAST
CANCER FOUNDATION SINCE 1986.
Participating
charities involved
with the Scotiabank
Ottawa Marathon
Charity Challenge.
60+
1 IN 8 CANADIAN MEN WILL FACE
PROSTATE CANCER IN THEIR LIFETIME
$373,641
46mil.
RAISED BY SIX SCOTIABANK SPONSORED CANADIAN MARATHONS OVER 14 YEARS
5KM
Distance runners go at
the Scotiabank Rat Race
which raised $400,000
for the United Way of
Greater Toronto
63
COMMUNITIES WHERE THE CIBC
RUN FOR THE CURE TAKES PLACE
ACROSS CANADA. IN 2015, THESE
COMMUNITIES RAISED $20 MILLION
BY THE NUMBERS With 81,000 registered charities in Canada in need of support, there are
plenty of reasons to run for a good cause. And runners across the nation are doing just that,
making an impact in communities from coast to coast.
$650
MILLION
+1.2bil.
Number, in US dollars, Running
USA estimates US road races brought
in for charity in 2013
Dollars raised in 2016
through Prostate
Cancer Canada’s Do It
for Dads Run Walk
33
Running clubs
across the
country
joining Sylvia
Ruegger
or child
education
with Start2Finish
15KM7KM5KM
DISTANCES FOR THE RBC RACE
FOR KIDS WHICH HAD 19, 880
RUNNERS IN 2016
CHARITYISSUE
18 2016 ISSUE 06
iRun for my family and for fun and for my health. — Tom Hawboldt, Orleans
iRun.ca 19