Even though they were participating in a virtual walk for the second straight year, Team McIntyre Family and Friends received record-breaking support from the community for the Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis (CF) history this year.
“We are actually overwhelmed with the support we’ve received from our friends, family, neighbours and businesses,” said Kasey McIntyre, whose son Liam has CF. “Everybody did so much to want to help this year.
The 15 team members brought in $7,429 in donations, as of Sunday afternoon, and that total is still climbing. Much of the money was through a bottle drive that the team held, which received excellent support.
Bottle drive donations were accepted until Sunday. Empty cans and bottles that came in on the weekend have not been added to the team total.
“We are so grateful for anyone and everyone that helped in just doing that in itself,” said McIntyre.
People also made online pledges to the team members.
McIntyre’s brother Cole Dunville rode his bicycle 22 kilometres on Saturday as part of his own virtual challenge. Last year he biked from Estevan to Bienfait, but in keeping with this year’s theme of Go Further for CF, he went a greater distance.
Then McIntyre’s aunt Gloria Threinen biked from Estevan on Bienfait on Sunday.
“It seemed like everyone was so generous for us this year,” McIntyre said. “It was just mind-blowing. I wish so much that we could see people like we normally would at the walk. Other teams. Other participants. And I gratefully look forward to that next year.”
Team McIntyre came together for the virtual walk Sunday at Woodlawn Regional Park. They watched the kick-off for the Prairie edition of the virtual walk together, and then walked along the park’s trails in small groups.
“We normally do two kilometres if we do the regular walk, but we ended up doing four kilometres instead. That was our way of going further for CF.”
Team McIntyre Family and Friends entered the walk with a goal of $3,000, and so McIntrye was thrilled to more than double their objective.
A total of $7,854 was raised from Estevan participants for the walk this year, but as McIntyre noted, that figure will continue to grow.
“We’re very happy to help other families that are going through the same thing that ours does, with the challenges that cystic fibrosis creates every day for them, and not just the CF warriors, but their families and friends who just want them to have the best quality of life,” said McIntyre.
That will be the goal until they find a cure, and she’s confident that they are getting closer than ever to finding something for CF.
