Cindy’s 5K Poker Walk

This past week has been a really busy one!  As anyone reading this blog will know, it was my first week in solo practice.  Amidst contacting my clients, building the appropriate infrastructure, marketing, building a website, contacting business partners and updating all my contact information, I actually had a lot of client work to do as well.

But all that stopped on Sunday morning so that my family and I could participate in the annual Cindy’s 5K Poker Walk to raise awareness and funds for the BC Epilepsy Society.

Those who know me know that my youngest daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy about two years ago and that after turning to the BC Epilepsy Society for support in our time of need, I decided to give back to our community by joining their board.

The 5 km walk started at 8:30 am at the Kerrisdale Arena in Vancouver and took us through the magnificent streets of Shaughnessy and then back to the arena.  The walk is part of the annual Shaughnessy Road Race and the 2011 Vancouver Sun Run series.  It is an incredibly well-organized event and I would definitely recommend it.  While we were walking, cycling, pushing strollers and riding scooters to raise money for the BC Epilepsy Society, men and women of all ages were running 8 km through the same course to compete for the best times (or their personal best times).

This year’s turnout was even better than the year before and the weather couldn’t have been better!  Attendees included individuals affected by epilepsy, their family, friends and generous people willing to help make a difference in the lives of so many people here in British Columbia (it is estimated that 1 out of 12 people will have a seizure in their lifetime and about 1 in 100 Canadians have epilepsy).

This year my wife and I walked while our two youngest “rode their scooters”.  Actually, they rode their scooters for a couple of blocks, had us push them while standing on their scooters for a few kilometres and then had us carry their scooters and helmets for the remaining distance while complaining that their feet hurt.  While we would have preferred that the kids did the entire walk under their own power, the main point is that we were able to demonstrate to them the importance of charity and giving back to their community.

Karen and I have made participating in this walk one of our annual fundraising events and if anyone is interested in joining us for future walks or to raise money for the BC Epilepsy Society, please contact me or Karen for further information or visit the BC Epilepsy Society’s website at http://www.bcepilepsy.com.