The Pembina Valley community gathered at Morden Park this last Sunday for the much-anticipated Kidney Walk, marking a significant milestone for the Kidney Foundation. This year’s event was particularly special as the Foundation celebrated its 60th anniversary.
Ashley Tobin – Manager of Fund Development and Community Engagement with the Kidney Foundation – expressed her enthusiasm about the event, and the community’s involvement. “Morden is such a beautiful community; Pembina Valley in itself is so beautiful. Our renal team over at Boundary is so connected to this community and so connected to their patients that we're just so happy to be able to support this community even further.” Tobin continued to speak on the walk’s goal to raise $10,000, and although the funds are still being tallied, there is hope that they will meet that target.
Tobin also spoke on what happens to those funds, and where they go once the Kidney Foundation receives them, “There’s 110,000 people affected by kidney disease in Manitoba, so our funds that we are collecting range from patient services and programs. So, whether that’s financial support, whether that’s supporting initiatives like our kidney Community Kitchen which provides renal friendly recipes, we fund research... We really try to remove the burden from kidney patients, so financial services is a big one that we are supporting here.”
The success of events like the Kidney Walk relies heavily on volunteers, and the Kidney Foundation is always in need of more helping hands according to Tobin, “We are always looking for volunteers to help support either the walk or other initiatives here that we’re doing in Morden and Winkler.” People interested can reach out via the Foundation’s website or contact their office directly by calling 204-989-0800.
Click below to hear the full interview with Ashley Tobin.