Put on by The Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC and Yukon branch, Prince George and the community took part in the 9th annual Kidney Walk.
Participants gathered at UNBC at the Northern Sport Centre for registration, a silent auction, some musical entertainment, as well as t-shirts, and snacks in preparation for the walk!
There were a few people who spoke on behalf of the Kidney Walk, and that included a kidney donor, a kidney donation recipient, Shirley Bond, and mayor Lynn Hall, just to name a few. The crew also took part in a cake cutting to celebrate the event.
Shirley Bond was like a kid in the candy store (somewhat literally), when she received her bag of Jelly Beans in the shape of kidneys. They were of course handed to her by the kidney mascot, Sidney the Kidney!
Funds from the event will be going towards The Kidney Foundation of Canada, more specifically to give financial aid to kidney transplant and organ donation costs.
If you were unaware of the importance of kidney donation and transplants, here are a few facts that may stick with you:
– 1 in 10 Canadians have kidney disease
– 80% of ALL transplants are kidney transplants
– 95% of Canadians have said they support organ donation, but only 20% have officially registered for organ donation.
– wait time for an organ donation can take YEARS
FOR WAYS TO DONATE, AND SUPPORT THE KIDNEY FOUNDATION OF CANADA:
Online: https://www.kidney.ca/bc-home
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KidneyBC/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidneybc