A former Chemainus resident is hoping to generate some interest for a virtual 10-kilometre walk/run/wheelchair event in support of education in Africa.
Shelagh Armour-Godbolt is an ardent volunteer for the Kenya Education Endowment Fund, a small, all-volunteer charity based in B.C.
“This virtual event is allowing KEEF to seek volunteer participants widely in 2022 and is of interest to readers from teenagers to seniors,” she noted.
KEEF is looking for runners, walkers and wheelchair users to participate in the 10-kilometre 2022 Virtual Vancouver Sun Run at a location and day of their choice between April 15 and 24.
High school is not free in Kenya. KEEF is providing publicity and seeking donations to go towards the 100+ high school students and 35 post-secondary students it supports in Kenya, East Africa.
“All donations will receive tax-deductible receipts and all funds raised will directly support the needs of these bright, financially needy students in Kenya,” added Armour-Godbolt. “We have a team of runners and walkers in Kenya participating and hope to recruit individuals and teams of volunteers across Canada, coast to coast to coast for 2022.”
Registration for individuals for the virtual run is $40 until April 1. People can also choose to enter a team with a minimum of eight participants for $30 per person until mid-February before the cost rises to $40 up to the April deadline.
The Vancouver Sun Run has attracted tens of thousands of participants annually for decades and is Canada’s largest street race. Cancelled due to COVID in 2020, it returned as a virtual event in 2021.
“We have had a handful of in-person walkers and runners for some years but 2021 allowed us to recruit teams in Kenya, Ontario/Quebec, and across B.C. as well as individual participants in Alberta and B.C.,” added Armour-Godbolt.
Eighty volunteers, ranging in age from the early 20s to early 80s, supported KEEF in the 2021 virtual run. Volunteers across Vancouver Island are invited to join this year. Islanders can participate as individuals, consider joining a team based in Parksville while participating in their own community or form a local team of their own.
To learn more about KEEF’s work in Kenya, volunteering individually for the virtual run in your community, setting up your own team, or the fee subsidy, contact Armour-Godbolt at shelaghag@shaw.ca or by calling 1-604-415-9397.
To discuss joining the existing Island team, while participating in your own Island community, contact Janice at jtrenholme@telus.net or by calling 250-954-3446.
