The 2023 Kidney Walk marked the first walk since 2019 to be held in person at Henderson Lake. (Photo: LNN)

By Christian Oldale

Kidney Walk returns to Henderson Lake for 2023

Jun 10, 2023 | 6:15 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – After three years of cancellations and virtual walks due to the pandemic, the Kidney Foundation of Canada held their Kidney Walk in Lethbridge on June 10, 2023.

Members of the community met up at the Lethbridge Horseshoe Club at Henderson Lake to begin the festivities with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, before embarking on a loop around the lake.

The Kidney Foundation has been holding the walks for over a decade at Henderson Park, which the foundation says aims to increase awareness of kidney disease, organ donation initiatives, and raise funds to help the foundation operate local support services.

Maggie Morris, Community Relations co-ordinator with the Kidney Foundation said, “I’m kind of happy this is our first walk since 2019, post-covid, back in person. Its amazing to connect with these people again because the Kidney community is very tight in here, and everybody is excited to be back, to chat, to catch up a little bit, and walk towards the same cause.”

Participants had the option of walking a three-kilometer loop around the lake, or doing it twice.

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Shelley Hamilton was a participant in the walk and is an organ donor, and said the walk provides access to a supportive community who it is easy to connect with.

Hamilton explained, “Everyone gets to know each other and you get to be friends, because you share a bond, a shared experience.”

According to a release by the Kidney Foundation, 76 per cent of Canadians waiting for an organ transplant are waiting for a kidney, and the median wait time is three and a half years.

In 2023, the Kidney Foundation set a fundraising goal for Southern Alberta at $35,000 while giving Lethbridge $15,000 of that goal. By the time the walk had completed in the morning, Morris announced that Lethbridge had surpassed the $15,000 goal and was at over $17,000.

Morris added, “I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone here, and to Lethbridge, for showing up.”

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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