Crowds down at Sunshine walk

Crowds down at Sunshine walk
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published June 14, 2003

The sun truly came out to help children in need when the Sunshine Walk for Children's Dreams was held at Burnaby Lake last weekend.

More than 150 people donned their walking shoes to trek the trails around the lake and raise some money to help children suffering from debilitating or life-threatening illness.

And while the amount of money raised was slightly less than last year, that's no deterrent to the people who put on the event, says Burnaby RCMP Staff Sgt. Daryl Stone, president of the B.C. chapter of the Sunshine Foundation.

"We always find that Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are the hardest markets in the country, because there's just so much competition," Stone said this week.

The foundation will raise about $10,000 from this year's walk.

It's enough to take two disabled children to Disneyland or buy them something special, such as a wheelchair designed for basketball, Stone said.

The amount raised is down about 30 per cent from the $15,000 raised last year, which was a similar drop from the $20,000 raised in 2001.

Craig McCullough, publicist for the event, said there were other factors that may have impacted the walk, including a decision not to host a concurrent 10-km run this year, and last weekend's very warm weather.

"We're just pleased with the dedication of the people who did turn out," McCullough said. "Naturally, we were hoping we could make more money, but the other side is that we did help to raise the profile of the Sunshine Walk."

For those that did come out, there were more activities than in previous years, games for children, a barbecue and visits from a Global TV camera crew and Read, the official mascot of the Burnaby NOW newspaper.