The Campbell River Branch of the First Open Heart Society invites everyone to attend its annual Walk for Hearts on May 3.
The walk is a fun family affair with refreshments provided and prizes for adults and children which are won by draws following the walk. All children receive a prize.
The participants either provide a donation or gather pledges from others to raise funds for this event which benefits cardiac patients from the whole North Island and Campbell River Hospital. Tax receipts are provided.
This year’s Walk for Hearts is dedicated in memory of Joyce Campbell, a very talented, resourceful woman who could take on any challenge thrown her way from changing a tire, to laying floors to making beautiful quilts.
She and her husband Harold also were staunch supporters of the Walk for Hearts.
Campbell passed away in February.
A small group of people founded the Campbell River Branch of the First Open Heart Society 30 years ago. The group meets every fourth Wednesday of the month at the Community Centre from September through May.
The Campbell River Branch of the First Open Heart Society is a Vancouver Island cardiac support group with branches in Victoria, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Courtenay and Campbell River.
Victoria (the head office) owns and operates Heart House which is a Bed & Breakfast within walking distance of the Royal Jubilee Hospital for the use and comfort of North Island patients and their families.
Campbell River’s branch has furnished the “Campbell River Room.”
Since 1990 the Campbell River Branch of the First Open Heart Society has donated $288,157.41 for cardiac equipment at Campbell River Hospital which includes funds for nurses’ and technicians’ education in cardiac courses.
The group’s primary function is not to raise money for hospital equipment but to provide support for local heart patients and their families, who are facing or recovering from heart surgery or experiencing any other heart or cardio-vascular related problem or procedure. This may be moral support and/or financial support for people in need to obtain medical treatment in Vancouver or Victoria.
Special emphasis is given to families with children facing surgery for heart related problems at Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
The group is not affiliated in any way with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, rather it is a local support group that hosts one fundraiser per year.
The funds raised at the Walk for Hearts stay local and are used for North Island heart patients, cardiac equipment for the Campbell River Hospital, cardiac education for nurses and technicians and occasionally for Heart House which is used by North Island patients and their families.
The group does not receive any government funding or grants and is completely run by volunteers.
Registration for Walk for Heart on May 3 is at 1:30 p.m. and the walk begins at 2 p.m. from the Willow Point Hall and goes along the Sea Walk, then returns to the Hall.
Anyone interested in joining the Campbell River Branch of the First Open Heart Society can contact Ken at 923-3466 or Ed at 287-3096 with any questions and for information on group meetings.