OLDS — This year’s 10th annual Olds Hike For Hospice did indeed set a fundraising record, says Mary Smith, executive director of the Olds & District Hospice Society.
Smith says more than 250 people participated, raising about $31,000 via the event, held virtually from May 2-20.
Earlier, she predicted that this year’s hike would raise at least $30,000 and if it did so, that that would be a fundraising record for the organization.
Last year’s event – the first ever held online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic — raised about $21,000.
“I believe we can consider the 2021 Hike For Hospice a success and we are ever so thankful to our amazing community for supporting the Society, and helping us help families in need,” Smith wrote in an email.
Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on making a person’s end-of-life journey as comforting as possible.
Money raised via the hike is used to offset expenses related to hospice palliative support in the Mountain View County, including the two hospice suites in the Olds Seasons Encore assisted living facility.
