More than 1,250 participants ran and walked in the Nature’s Emporium Run for Southlake in Newmarket on April 30 to raise more than $434,000 for Southlake Regional Health Centre’s most urgent needs.
“Our community came together in numbers we haven’t seen since before the pandemic and it was just incredible,” Jennifer Klotz-Ritter, president and CEO at Southlake Foundation, said in a news release. “As our largest annual community fundraiser for Southlake, this event raises vital funds for new and replacement equipment and technology that is critical to delivering patient care. We are so grateful to our community and our sponsors who stepped up in such a meaningful way.”
Increased need for new tools and technology is felt in nearly every clinical program of the hospital and community donations are critical to funding those purchases, she added.
“We have incredible doctors, nurses, allied health and clinical support staff at Southlake that deliver leading-edge care, but the government doesn’t fully fund all new and replacement equipment,” said Arden Krystal, president and CEO of Southlake. “We rely on donors’ generosity, through events like the Nature’s Emporium Run for Southlake, to help us make vital upgrades.”
Emergency physician Dr. Eddie Chan, one of the Run for Southlake ambassadors, added, “Every day I use tools that have been funded by community donations to provide that care. It was humbling to be able to walk along side so many people who actively fundraised for equipment I depend on and I think I can speak for all my colleagues to say we are so thankful for that support.”
Of the 88 teams registered, 21 were hospital family teams made up of physicians, staff and volunteers at Southlake.
The 2023 fundraising challenge winners are:
- Hospital Department Challenge – The Fun-Raisers (comprised of Southlake Foundation leadership volunteers)
- School Cup Challenge - Aurora Montessori School Wolverunners
- Corporate and Business Team Challenge - Team Magna
- Community Friends and Family Challenge - The Late Bloomers (a community group of women, including former Southlake staff and volunteers)
- Mayor’s Challenge - Town of Aurora
- Community Spirit Award - Town of Newmarket (awarded to the municipality with the highest percentage of participation of citizens).
Nature’s Emporium celebrated its 11th year as title sponsor.
“We’ve always been proud sponsors of this event, but this year we were so thrilled to see the volume of participants from our community on race day, showing up for our hospital, and each other,” said Joe D’Addario, president of Nature’s Emporium. “This decade-long partnership is a key way that Nature’s Emporium gives back to the communities that support us, and every year our team is inspired by the impact we can all make together. On behalf of the Nature's Emporium family, thank you to everyone who participates and donates through the event.”
Additional sponsors included Magna International, RE/MAX Hallmark Polsinello Group Realty, The MARC Group, Upper Canada Mall, Boland Romaine LLP, GEM Health Care Services, The Bakerfield, York Rehab, Sports Medicine Centre of Excellence, Highland GM, Chartwell Retirement Residences, Orangetheory Fitness, The GUHAH Way, and Print Graphics Inc.
The volunteer run committee, led by chair Brian North and including Kelly Broome, Lisbeth Goodyear, John Firman, Rose Fragala, Yasmeen Shahrokhi, Sarah Widawski and Krissy Young, expressed their gratitude to the participants, and look forward to next year’s Nature’s Emporium Run for Southlake on Sunday, April 28, 2024.
