They ran, they jumped, they pulled fire hoses and pushed stretchers.
And when it was all over, more than 1,200 first responders, Scarborough and Rouge Hospital (SRH) staff and physicians, hospital and Foundation Board members, and Scarborough community members had conquered a challenging obstacle course and raised close to $200,000 to support our health network.
One of SRH Foundation’s signature events, 2018 was the third year that Canadian Tire Brave T.O. has challenged our community to “beat the best.” The race is designed to reflect the challenges that police, firefighters, and paramedics face in their daily work in Scarborough.
Leading off the racers, a wave of first responders from across the GTA battled it out for team and individual bragging rights. Coming out on top of the team competition this year was the 43 Division of Toronto Police. Detective Jesse Weeks, of Toronto Police Service’s 55 Division, was the fastest individual first responder for the second year in a row, with a time of 23:08.
The first responders inspired participants from ages 5 to 75 who showed their support for their community hospital by participating in a family-friendly 1k walk, or 3k and 5k races.
New this year, participants and donors could choose to designate their donations toward a specific hospital department or unit. This allowed participants to feel connected to their fundraising efforts and truly personalize the cause.
“It was an outstanding day” said Michael Mazza, President and CEO of SRH Foundation after running the obstacle course himself.
“Knowing that some of the course challenges represent first responders’ training helps you understand how hard they work. Thanks to support from our racers, sponsors and volunteers, we’re able to make a significant impact in purchasing critically needed equipment to support patient care in Scarborough.”
With vibrant entertainment – including a special SRH Strategic Plan flash mob dance – emergency services demonstrations, and special fitness challenges, Canadian Tire Brave T.O. was about more than racing. It brought our hospital and community together to support our health network’s transformation.
Thank you to everyone who participated, donated, or danced for the cause! And sincere thanks to our six Scarborough Area Canadian Tire stores, 10 Scarborough No Frills locations, Scotiabank, Re/Max Community Realty and other generous sponsors of Canadian Tire Brave T.O.
Next year’s event is already in the planning stages and you are encouraged to bookmark and check in at www.brave.to regularly to be ready to take part in the 2019 event.
We want to see your photos! If you have photos from Canadian Tire Brave T.O. 2018, send them to communications@tsh.to and we will add them to our Facebook album at facebook.com/scarboroughrougehospital. Thank you!