Several residents, volunteers and local dignitaries gathered at Aspira Brants Landing Retirement Living in Brantford as the Grand River Council on Aging (GRCOA) announced the date and details for this year’s Grand Parade on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
The Grand Parade is an annual family-friendly fundraiser walk that takes place in 33 different locations across Canada, and helps to support local charities who provide essential care and services for aging citizens across the country.
The sixth annual Brantford event will be taking place at the Kiwanis Field behind Pauline Johnson Collegiate and Vocational School on Saturday, September 29, 2026.
Funds raised from the walk will go towards maintaining essential programs and resources to help keep older adults within the local community engaged, informed and connected.
On the day of, participants of all ages and mobility are encouraged to walk or roll the accessible Kiwanis track, but for those who are unable to attend, they can walk from wherever they are, or take part in the “Parade at Home Challenge.”
“If you can’t join us on that day, no problem. Whether it’s due to mobility or scheduling, you can always do an off-site event. We have some people that go on vacation, and so they walk wherever they are, and they take a picture to send back to us. It’s all part of the parade, so we have lots of fun with that,” said Linda Moyer, Grand Parade campaign leader. “The other thing that we do is we do a ‘Parade at Home.’ That’s a challenge that is taken up by retirement homes where we provide them, and with balloons, buttons, pom poms and all sorts of things, so that they can have a great celebration too. Of course, retirement homes are also welcome to come to the actual event day and walk with us on the track as well, so there’s two options there.”
This year, event organizers are hoping to recruit 30 teams and 120 walkers to help raise $40,000 to support older adults across Brantford, Brant County and Six Nations of the Grand River.
While walkers who raise $150 or more will earn a special t-shirt as a thank you, those participating on-site are encouraged to take part in all of the day’s activities, including cheerleading, face painting, raffles, a photo booth and refreshments. Children present will also be able to enjoy the on-site Kids Zone.
As of August 10, there are currently 20 teams and 49 walkers who have signed up to fundraise and with their help, along with sponsorship dollars, the GRCOA has raised 28 per cent of its goal with $11,246. The sponsorship campaign has already raised $7,500 toward its $10,000.
As far as what to expect for the event day, check in will begin at 10 a.m., followed by opening remarks at 10:45 a.m., and the walk will start at 11:00 a.m. At noon, a light meal will be served and the event is set to wrap up by 1:00 p.m.
Lucy Marco, Executive Director for the GRCOA, said the event will help the non-for-profit organization carry out essential work in the community.
All proceeds will go towards supporting GRCOA activities and resources such as virtual workshops, newsletters, an INFO HUB with 350-plus local resources, a seniors discount directory and support for the development of an “age-friendly community.”
“Did you know that the residents that are 55-plus represent 37.1 per cent of the population in our area? That means creating an age-friendly community is so important. In fact, it’s essential. Together, we are all helping build a community where every older adult feels connected, valued, respected and supported,” said Marco. “But we can’t do it alone. We are a volunteer-driven local charity, and the Grand Parade is our signature fundraising event. We need to raise funds to pay for the things that we do to help others as we do not have any government funding. The Grand Parade is an intergenerational celebration where every team, every walker, every sponsor, every volunteer and every donation helps. They all help to strengthen the programs and the services that make our community a great place to grow and to grow older.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
