The 25th edition of Stroll & Dash, held on Sunday, October 4, in TMR, was a huge success, attracting over 350 people and raising over $350,000 - and counting - to support pediatric cancer care at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
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Stroll & Dash is the primary annual fundraising activity for Sarah’s Fund for Cedars, which has been supporting vital care programs and services for the MUHC’s youngest cancer patients and their families since 2001.
It’s a family-oriented, outdoor fundraising event that features games, activities, races, arts and crafts, face painting, clowns, mascots, a petting zoo, bouncy castles, a miniature train, great music, Zumba, and delicious kid-friendly food. In addition to the fun and games, Stroll & Dash also celebrates the Sarah’s Floor “heroes:” all the young cancer patients who are currently being treated – or who were treated in the past - on the hematology-oncology inpatient unit at The Children’s. It’s an opportunity for them to come together for a half-day of fun and connection and to meet local celebrities.
Since its inception, Sarah’s Fund has raised over $15 million, which has allowed the inpatient hematology-oncology unit at The Children’s (known as Sarah’s Floor) to offer programs like art therapy, music therapy, pet therapy, clown therapy, and psychological therapy to young cancer patients and their families. It has also supported renovations to the unit and ensures that its kitchen, laundry area and playroom are fully equipped, which helps make Sarah’s Floor more comfortable and welcoming for the children and families who are sometimes there for weeks at a time.
The Cedars Cancer Foundation is very grateful to the Cook family - Sarah, her parents Lorena and Norman, and her aunt, Catherine - for their 25 years of generosity and their dedication to this important cause.
Cedars is also grateful to the many volunteers on the Stroll & Dash organizing committee, and especially to long-time event co-chairs, Casey Tabah and Jessica Lutfy, for their time, energy and expertise. In addition, we thank the event participants, donors and partners, whose contributions helped us raise such an impressive amount this year and made the 25th anniversary so special.
This year’s event would not have been possible without the support of our main partners: the Rossy Foundation, Groupe Dynamite – Andrew Lutfy Foundation, Summit Maritime Corporation, Gildan, and CN.
A special shout-out also goes to Montreal Canadiens players Jake Evans, Mike Matheson, Nick Suzuki, and Chris Kreider, and to Youppi!, who joined us on Sunday and brought so much joy to the Sarah’s Floor “heroes” and to all the other participants, too! Their presence was a memorable and impactful surprise for everyone.
