Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Mount Robson Inn staff and others helped support women battling cancer by walking around Annette Lake on May 15 as part of a virtual run/walk fundraiser.
The first annual Walk Her Way 5K aimed to raise $50,000 for Compassion House Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Edmonton that supports women who must leave their homes for cancer care.
鈥淚magine leaving your community, your home, and your loved ones to travel to Edmonton for cancer treatment,鈥� said Michelle Okere, CEO of Compassion House Foundation, in a news release. 鈥淭he financial impact is daunting, the emotional journey even more so.
鈥淲alk Her Way 5K is about stepping into her shoes鈥晅he hundreds of women devastated by cancer who access our accommodations and support services each year鈥昳n a small journey to help ease the distress of the cancer journey for women.鈥�
Participants registered as a team or an individual, fundraised in advance and then completed a five-kilometre walk or run during the event period from May 13 to 16.
The virtual event occurred in Jasper and elsewhere across Alberta, including Edmonton, Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray, although participation was possible from anywhere and open to all fitness levels.
Marina Rosta, general manager of Mount Robson Inn, participated in the walk and also serves as a compassion network ambassador.
Rosta herself stayed at Sorrentino's Compassion House after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
She needed a convenient and affordable place to stay in Edmonton while receiving treatment, a place where she could heal and not have to worry about leaving her family.
鈥淚t was very quiet and safe; I felt like I could take care of myself, so I could get home and take care of my kids," Rosta said in the release.
"It was my home away from home."
Rosta is one of 114 women from Jasper and the surrounding area who have stayed at Sorrentino鈥檚 Compassion House since its opening in 2002.
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