On Sunday, September 3rd over 120 runners/walkers, over 35 volunteers, and many spectators joined us in Bayfield to support Aiden, a 14-year-old boy from Middlesex County who has a cardiac condition. Aiden is a Wish Child with Make-A-Wish Southwestern Ontario whose wish the be the Prime Minister of Canada!
Before the runners and walkers lined up at the start line, we gathered round to present Aiden with a Run4Kids t-shirt signed by Justin Trudeau (note it hanging over his shoulder in the photos). Emily Santos, Run4Kids Race Director, visited Goderich on August 25th (where Justin Trudeau was visiting) to see if she could meet the Prime Minister to tell him about Aiden, and this is exactly what happened! She asked him to sign her shirt, and we turned it over to Aiden on Sunday morning. Needless to say, Aiden was thrilled! The crowd then listened to Aiden speak about his journey through surgeries and how much the Run4Kids event and Make-A-Wish means to him. It was inspiring for his listeners to hear him speak of his challenges and to have him do so in such a hopeful way! At the race’s start, Aiden rang the bell on the top balcony of Virtual High School.
It was an honour to have Aiden present, to see his excitement about the event, and to hear about his Wish. We also had Reiko, the Wish Child we supported in 2015, share his Wish trip story with us. It was wonderful to have both Aiden and Reiko present!
The total raised from the Run4Kids 2017 event was $9308. We are thrilled to be able to make this donation to such a wonderful organization. Thank you to EVERYONE who made this possible! This is a huge community effort, and we are happy that we’ve been able to help make Aiden’s Wish come true.
