The Lansdowne Children’s Centre in Brantford is preparing for their fourth annual Heroes Walk and Roll fundraising event on Saturday, October 1.
The event, which started in 2019, has been held virtually the past two years and organizer Candace Kingyens said that the team is looking forward to seeing everyone in person again.
“We gained a lot of momentum in the event’s first year, and lost a little bit of that throughout the pandemic,” she said. “We started this event because our two main fundraisers were very adult focused, and this one is geared specifically toward our children and youth. Not only does this event mean a lot to us, but it is also a special day for the kids.”
Kingyens said that attendees are encouraged to dress up for the carnival-themed event as their idea of a superhero.
“Our event sees a very wide range of superheroes like Spider-Man and Batman,” she said. “Others choose to dress as doctors or nurses, or really whatever superheroes mean to them.”
In addition to the superhero walk and roll, the carnival-style event boasts a number of activities for attendees of all ages and abilities. Attractions include games, meet-and-greets with heroes and princesses, face painting, touch-a-truck with the Brantford Fire Department, carnival treats, vendors and much more.
Since its creation in 2019, the event has raised over $120,000, surpassing their $40,000 goals in both 2020 and 2021. For the event’s return to in-person format this year, organizers increased their goal to $65,000.
“It’s crazy awesome, we’re really excited about it,” Kingyens said. “We really hope that we can continue to expand and build on it in the future. The community has really rallied to make this event a success. It’s such a great day to celebrate the successes of the children that have overcome some serious obstacles. It’s a really feel-good day for the whole community.”
In the past, funds raised at the event were directed towards Lansdowne’s recreation programming, however this year’s money will be directed towards wherever needs it most, following the organization’s new “greater need philosophy.”
“We have around 24 departments and our building is too small,” Kingyens said. “We’ve been really working towards a capital campaign, hopefully launching in the near future, to get a bigger building. We have a list of around 2,700 kids waiting to get support through Lansdowne, so moving forward we are taking extra caution to ensure that money is being delegated to where it’s needed most.”
Community members interested in attending the event can pre-register online or in person on the day of. For more information, visit https://www.lansdownecentre.ca/event-details/heroes-walk-and-roll
