Hike for Hospice goes to the dogs – in the best possible way

April 22, 2021 · 0 Comments

By ROB PAUL

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

For the last 11 years, Bethell Hospice has been hosting the Hike for Bethell Hospice fundraiser.

In 2020, they had to pivot to a virtual hike due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but still managed to raise over $95,000.

The virtual hike is back for 2021 with online registration now open.

The official date of this year’s hike is Sunday, May 2 to coincide with the beginning of National Hospice & Palliative Care Week and participants can complete their own virtual hikes anytime and anywhere until May 31, 2021.

Over the last two years, the hike has raised a combined total of over $265,000 for Bethell Hospice Foundation and its one of its largest annual fundraising events.

“All of the proceeds go to support the programs and services at Bethell Hospice so that anyone accessing either the residential care or any of our community programs can do so at no cost to themselves or their families,” said Julie Hymers, Bethell Hospice Associate Director, Marketing and Communications.

Shifting to a virtual event hasn’t been easy, but this year Bethell Hospice has decided to incorporate dogs to build buzz and get more people and pups involved in the hopes of raising more money.

“This is unfortunately our second year of having to do it virtually and last year we were sort of feeling our way through it with a last-minute shift to a virtual event,” she said. “This year we’ve been planning for the virtual event right from the get-go.

“One of the major changes we’ve made this year was we reached out specifically letting them know if they’d like to bring their dog for the hike or sign their dog up for the hike, we’ve got some sponsors who are putting together some pet packs for the dogs with treats and goodies. We thought if everyone was out doing the hike on their own—we’ve always had a strong contingent of dogs who have come to the hike with their families when we hold the event in-person—the dogs could have something fun to do as well.

With the addition of dogs to this year’s hike, Hymers has jumped at the opportunity to get her own pooch Ariel out and about by putting together a sponsor page (bhf.akaraisin.com/ui/hikebh2021/team/340163) for her to raise money for the Paws for Palliative Care Team with a goal of $500.

“We’ve had Ariel in our family for the last 13 and a half years; she’s a Miniature Australian Shepherd and she’s a wonderful little dog,” she said. “I’ve worked at the hospice myself for the last nine years so Ariel on many occasions has come with me and it’s a great place for her to be able to support. She’s a great dog who loves the outdoors and playing, she really loves people so that’s she’s been a wonderful fit over the years at the hospice. Through the years, Ariel has come with me to the hospice many times, and this is just one more way that a little dog can make a big difference. When we’ve held the event in-person in the past, I’ve been busy at the event and so it hasn’t been something I’ve been able to participate in and therefore neither has Ariel. This year, given it’s a virtual event, it’s something that she and I could do together, and we could put on her hike t-shirt when she goes for walks around Bolton to spread the word about the hike.”

Major fundraising is more important than ever for Bethell Hospice with COVID making it more difficult to consistently connect with the community on a grand scale and events like these are what keep the services running.

“Fundraising has gone really well,” she said. “Ariel’s team is up over $500 now which is great. The goal for the entire hike this year is $125,000 and we’re starting to get close, and we’re really excited about that. It’s really important to keep the doors of Bethell Hospice open and all the services available in the community. We need to raise over $1 million a year and that doesn’t stop just because the pandemic has come. Our service have actually been in even more demand through the pandemic. Things like our virtual supportive counselling, where people can speak one-on-one with our social workers if they’re having difficulty with feelings of isolation during the pandemic or dealing with loss. Through the pandemic, families continue to experience loss and it continues to be a really important to have resources available for people in the community, even if they’re virtual. We continue to have many residents at the hospice who are spending their final days being cared for and we really want these services to be able to continue.”

For the who would like to register for the Hike for Bethel Hospice, they can do so online at foundation.bethellhospice.org/virtual-hike-for-bethell-hospice.

The registration fee is $25, and participants are encouraged to raise at least $50 in pledges or donations.