Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to highlight this Sunday, October 5, which is Run for Our Lives. On Sunday hundreds of participants in six of our communities will take part in the CIBC sponsored Run for Our Lives to raise funds for breast cancer.
You may know of the national event Run for the Cure, but Run for Our Lives is an NWT event made in the North for the North, and the dollars stay in the North. Several years ago a dedicated group of volunteers, tired of sending our hard earned NWT fundraised dollars to the South, decided that a breast cancer fundraiser event would better benefit Northerners financially if it were held in the North. With that, the NWT- CIBC Run for Our Lives was born.
The first year the run only took place in Yellowknife, but this year there will be runs in Fort Simpson, Fort Smith, Hay River, Yellowknife, Norman Wells and Inuvik. Each community hosts their own run, and the proceeds from the runs go towards the collective northern goals to fight breast cancer. Hats off to the Run for Our Lives committee, who has so successfully expanded this fundraiser in a short period of time.
This run allows Northerners to determine how the funds raised by the people of the NWT will be invested. It’s not decided by Southerners.
How successful is this event? Well, the net proceeds from the 2007 run were over $185,000. These funds are being used to pay for the NWT-wide Breast Health Navigator Program, which is run by Stanton Territorial Hospital. Through this program breast cancer patients in NWT communities are visited and counselled by the patient navigator without having to leave their community. The proceeds also provide funding to the NWT Breast Health/Breast Cancer Action Group, a group which develops breast cancer projects and services in the NWT and which promotes the awareness of breast health at the community level.
Proceeds contribute to a special Stanton Territorial Hospital fund for breast cancer related major equipment, such as a digital mammography machine. Lastly, a portion of run funds also goes to national research in the hope that someday we’ll find a cure.
There are few of us who have not been touched in some way by breast cancer: a family member, a friend, a co-worker.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted.
We can assist our communities, our patients and ourselves by taking part in this year’s Run for Our Lives. You can make a donation. You can collect donations. You can take part in the run. Or you can work as a volunteer. Every little bit helps. And if you can’t do any of these, this Sunday be sure to stop for a moment to remember someone affected by breast cancer and wish them well. Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Members’ statements. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
