Firefighters walk the walk in battle against MD

It’s a long walk that happens every year.

It begins in Cobble Hill and ends with thousands more dollars to continue the fight against muscular dystrophy.

Tomorrow, volunteer firefighters from nine south Vancouver Island fire departments will don full gear, including breathing apparatus, and depart the Valleyview Centre at about 7 a.m. bound for Mesachie Lake.

After a walk of 20 kilometres, they will converge at the Mesachie Lake Skydome for the 31st-annual Mesachie Lake Softball Tournament and Auction for Muscular Dystrophy Canada, which gets underway June 18.

“This walk is very public, and by having our members out there, we hope to raise awareness about Muscular Dystrophy and the challenges faced by the thousands of Canadians,” Cam Ferguson, a Cowichan Bay firefighter and advisor for Muscular Dystrophy Canada said in a press release.

This is the fourth edition of the walk, which raised $5,000 on its own last year. The ball tournament and auction weekend totaled $30,000.

Participating departments include Mesachie Lake, Lake Cowichan, Youbou, Honeymoon Bay, Caycuse, Duncan, Cowichan Bay, Langford and Ladysmith.

Donations can be made at the Mesachie Lake Skydome between June 18 and 20, or at your local fire hall. You can also make donations on line at www.muscle.ca

Cowichan News Leader Pictorial
Published: June 16, 2010 6:00 PM