Lansdowne Heroes exceed the 2024 fundraising goal for the annual charity walk hosted by Lansdowne Children's Centre Foundation.
More about Lansdowne Heroes Walk and Roll from Brant Beacon news, click here
More about Lansdowne Heroes Walk and Roll from Brantford Expositor, click here
Featured photos provided by Danovision Productions
Brantford - With the contributions of community fundraisers and local businesses, the Lansdowne Children’s Centre Foundation celebrated a big win with a host of heroes at Brant Park in Brant Conservation Area on Saturday, October 5 at the sixth annual Heroes Walk and Roll charity event.
“One of the best parts of my job is to announce the final total. In recent years, we’ve come so close to reaching our goal. This year our goal was $50,000. We are just over… We did it!”
said Candace Kingyens, senior development officer for Lansdowne Foundation.
The annual hero-themed fun fair is one of Lansdowne Foundation’s marquee events, celebrating the strength of children and youth with special needs and their families, who access services and support at Lansdowne Children’s Centre sites in Brantford, Caledonia, Dunnville and Simcoe.
Jack Gatopolous, 9, was the youth ambassador for the 2024 Heroes Walk and Roll campaign. Diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, a genetic disorder wherein a small part of the seventh chromosome is missing, Jack has been a client of Lansdowne since before his first birthday. Jack’s family and fundraising Super Team – who raised $2,491 – attended the event, where his mother, Laura Gatopolous, addressed the crowd of Lansdowne heroes.
“When you have a neurodivergent child with special needs, you’re not really sure what steps you need to take."
"You know that you need to do something, but you’re not really sure what that is. We wanted to get Jack the help he needed to be able to succeed, and to thrive. Because of Lansdowne, we were able to do that.”
Dressed up as the hero character “Mr. Incredible,” Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma also shared a message of gratitude and support.
“I am so excited for the work of this organization to support the most vulnerable children in our community, and I am so looking forward to a new Lansdowne Children’s
Hundreds of community members gathered for the hero-themed fundraiser held in Brant Conservation Area. Volunteers and fundraisers enjoyed carnival games, Maria’s Original Pizza and attractions that included visits from Lightning McQueen, Captain America, Spider-Man and the Brantford Fire Department.
The 2024 edition of the Lansdowne Foundation Heroes Walk and Roll was presented by BioDesign Prosthetics & Orthotics and supported by a number of generous community partners including Crossroads Refrigeration, Extend Communications, Gates Canada, Mott Manufacturing and Scotiabank.
After completing the one kilometer walk around Brant Park, the crowd of Lansdowne heroes gathered again around the main stage pavilion for music performed by Canadian recording artist Chris Strei, and the announcement of the year’s top fundraisers.
Find more great photos in our Heroes Walk and Roll Facebook Albums, click here
Congratulations were shared with Julie Neal and her daughter Tenley, a Lansdowne client family, who raised $3,850. Julie is also a member of the Lansdowne Foundation volunteer board of directors.
Team Mighty Mason, led by past Heroes Walk and Roll client ambassador (2022) Mason Boughner and parents Rob and Karissa, also earned accolades for raising $1,690 in support.
The online fundraising pages from this year’s campaign will remain open until after the Thanksgiving weekend, closing Tuesday October 15, to provide time for donors inspired the stories and images of the event that are being shared by fundraisers and Lansdowne Children’s Centre.
The 2025 edition of the Lansdowne Heroes Walk and Roll is scheduled for Saturday, October 4 and will again return to Brant Park in Brantford. www.heroeswalkandroll.com
ABOUT LANSDOWNE CHILDREN’S CENTRE
Lansdowne Children's Centre is a highly accredited children's treatment centre (CTC) and SmartStart Hub, connecting caregivers with resources, services and supports for infants, children, and youth with physical, communication, and/or developmental needs. Supporting nearly 4,000 unique children and families annually, Lansdowne works with child and youth clients and their families at centres in Brantford, Caledonia, Dunnville and Simcoe, and in a variety of community settings such as homes, schools, childcares, early learning environments, and camps, as well as through virtual means using streaming video.
Learn more at www.lansdownecentre.ca
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