Throughout June more than 40 communities gathered across Canada to raise funds for type 1 diabetes research.
The Sun Life Walk to Cure Diabetes for JDRF is the largest fundraising event in Canada that brings together the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community to raise funds for T1D research. A fun-filled family and community celebration, the Walk has raised more than $137 million to date over its 30-year history – making it one of the longest running and most successful fundraising events in Canada.
The collective fundraising goal is $3.1 million that will go towards research into cures for T1D. This year is the 30th anniversary of the Walk and JDRF is proud to celebrate three decades of progress, commitment, and improving lives for people affected by T1D.
June was once again designated as Walk Month and to date more than $2.7M has already been raised in support of the most promising diabetes research. Additional Walks are planned for the fall, including Walks in Hamilton, Niagara, Sudbury, Peel and the Walk in Halifax which was delayed due to ongoing wildfires.
The Walk is more than just a fundraiser. It’s a chance for families living with T1D to get together, share their stories and gain support. Many Walks had a tent and activities designated specifically for new families, sponsored by Abbott Diabetes Care and supported by JDRF Volunteers to provide the most up to date information and resources. As well, trained Research volunteers were on-hand at several sites to provide participants with information on the latest updates in T1D research.
Games were set up for the kids and emcees helped keep the energy going with music. Each Walk location provided their own unique offerings to make the day one to remember for the T1D community.
At the Toronto Walk, we were joined by JDRF ambassadors Max Domi and Kaleb Dahlgren, who met with families, took photos and helped to lead the warm-up. It was very moving for many newly-diagnosed families to meet two exceptional athletes with T1D and hear that diabetes doesn’t have to mean giving up on your dreams.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our sponsors. With their support, we were able to offer an incredible day of community spirit with valuable resources for T1D families and innumerable connections made. Across Canada, the Walk was truly a celebration of 30 years of progress in T1D research, with the recognition that there is much work to be done.
Thank you so much to our Walkers, volunteers, donors and our national partners. We could not have done it without you. Together we walked, to one day cure T1D.
Our Sponsors
Local Partners
Booth Sponsors
Farm Girl
Pizza Hut Limited Partnership
Corporate Champions
Alberta Milk
BASF Bryanna Higgins
The BC Dairy Foundation
Blundell Seafoods Ltd.
Capital Ford Lincoln
Capital GMC Buick Cadillac
The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy Rochdale
Pineapple Therapy
Pure Orthodontics
River City Events
TD Asset Management
Universal Collision Centre
Weigl Enterprises Inc.
Gift In Kind Partners
Alberta Cloth Co. (Edmonton) Ltd.
Elite Auto Centre
GES Canada Inc.
Hotel X Toronto
The Low Carb Company
Pizza Nova
RE/MAX Edmonton Area & Associates
Rockets Candy Company / Ce De Candy Company Ltd.
