ROYAL LEPAGE LANNON REALTY LAUNCHES MAJOR EVENTS
Fitness instructor Fay Gleeson with firemen, Thunder Bay Councillor Trevor Giertuga, Royal LePage realtors and sponsors. Photo courtesy Christine Moore.
ROYAL LEPAGE LANNON REALTY LAUNCHES MAJOR EVENTS
Royal LePage Lannon Realty launched their two major fundraising events yesterday evening in a colourful fashion, debuting lime green t-shirts for the female participants and bright red high heeled shoes for the men.
Organizer Art Lannon said that the Women’s United Run, Stroll or Roll is in its 33rd year and the men’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is in its second. The women’s event, said Lannon, has become a local institution and the men’s event promises to be as well.
“We know spring is here when we see groups of women out running the streets and filling the parking lots at the fitness centers, training for The Women’s Run, Stroll or Roll event”, he said.
Scheduled for May 12 starting at 9:30 a.m., the Women’s United Run, Stroll or Roll will see well over 1000 women of all ages walk or run around Boulevard Lake to raise funds for women’s charities in Thunder Bay. Organizing committee member Michelle Towell said that a highlight of last year’s event was when the male team members gathered at the Arundel Bridge prior to their walk to cheer the women on.
“It had to have been one of the most magical and fun moments in the history of our women’s event,” she said.Towell added that there has been considerable interest among the community’s men to participate in Walk a Mile, which is held internationally to protest violence against women and raise funds for women’s shelters.
This year’s event will also feature a keynote presentation by Crystal Andrus, a worldwide leader in the field of self-discovery and personal transformation.
From a tough beginning—her parent’s divorce at age 12, continued sexual abuse from a family friend, moving on her own at 15, off and on homelessness for three years, marrying young, battling health scares and a huge weight gain, then a difficult divorce that left her almost bankrupt to becoming a single mother to her two young daughters—Andrus has subsequently risen to become a best-selling author, international motivational speaker and women’s health advocate.
Organizer Bev Lannon said that last year’s women’s event raised $27,000 for the United Way and the men’s event raised $3000. She added that registered charities are invited to form groups of 25 or more to raise funds for their own organization. The event will contribute an additional $300 to these organizations.
Those interested in registering for either event can go to www.royallepagethunderbay.com.
