If you haven’t already done so, take a good look at our front-page picture this week. Chances are good that unless you just arrived on the Sunshine Coast, you know at least one of the smiling women pictured. And if you are a newbie, you’ll probably know at least one by this time next year.
For these amazing women are community leaders. They’re the people you can count on every time something needs to get done on the Coast. They’re business people, moms, wives and, most of all, they’re people who truly care about others.
For anyone who doubts that, here’s proof. The event — Canuck Place Adventure Race — that the women dubbed Team Sunshine were part of raised $90,000 in total. Of that, our team raised a whopping $25,000, almost a dollar for every single person on the Sunshine Coast.
So who will benefit from all this fundraising? Children facing life-threatening illnesses and their parents and loved ones are the beneficiaries at Canuck Place, up to now the only children’s hospice in British Columbia.
The hospice was the brainchild of pediatric nurse Brenda Eng. In 1988 she went to England, and after spending months working in a children’s hospice there, she came home convinced that B.C. needed a similar facility.
A few years later another nurse, Bette Davies, studied the effects of grief on siblings and the role of hospice in that process. Together they campaigned to bring Canuck Place to the people of B.C. Along with several corporate sponsors, the Vancouver Canucks came onboard in a huge way to make the hospice a reality.
Now almost 20 years later, the hospice is recognized as a global leader in pediatric palliative care. Families can come for badly-needed respite care for their sick child. There are programs and services second to none in the world for kids and their folks. There is no charge for any of these priceless services, which is one of the reasons why events such as the one held this past Sunday, Sept. 7, are so important.
As anyone who has ever lost a child can attest, there is probably no greater sorrow. The work the fine professionals and volunteers at Canuck Place do to help people dealing with this reality can’t be over-emphasized.
To the magnificent Team Sunshine, we say, “Thank you, and take a bow, ladies. You’ve made us very proud.”
