Heroes Walk and Roll raises more than $38,000 for Lansdowne

The fifth annual Heroes Walk and Roll raised more than $38,000 in support of Lansdowne Children’s Centre.

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The event, held Saturday at Brant Park Conservation Area, attracted hundreds of people including superhero characters Spider-Man, Batman and Robin and Bat-Girl. It also included a reptile show, magician, balloon creations and an inflatable maze.

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Participants walked or rolled a one-kilometer route around the conservation area. Proceeds from the event are used to fund a range of programs provided to families of infants, children and youth with special needs.

The fund-raising effort was led by Brooke and Madelyn Partridge of Brantford. The twin sisters are Lansdowne clients and participate in the center’s autism services and recreation program and they were the youth ambassadors for the event.

The twins were joined by their parents Brandon and Chelsea.

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“Thank you for being a hero today and donating to Lansdowne,” Brandon told the crowd of supporters. “We feel that Lansdowne is such a needed staple in our community and as a family we are committed to helping spread the word of the center’s importance.”

The event was organized by the Lansdowne Children’s Center Foundation, the fund-raising arm of the children’s center.

Local leaders were on hand including Brant County Mayor David Bailey, Brantford city councilor Mandy Samwell, Brantford-Brant MP and Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma, who dressed up as Mr. Incredible for the event.

Bouma told the crowd work to bring a new children’s treatment center is continuing.

“We’re getting closer everyday. I’m looking forward to being able to push on the president of the treasury board shortly in order to help make our dream a reality,” Bouma said. “I love the work that Lansdowne does. The fact that they see the potential in every single young person in our community.”

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The children’s center provides services to more than 3,400 children and youth living with a range of communication, developmental and/or physical challenges.

However, there are more than 2,400 children on the center’s wait list and Lansdowne officials say the clock is ticking on a new center as the wait list is expected to grow to 13,500 by 2041.

Incorporated in 1974, Lansdowne moved to its Mount Pleasant Street location in 1998. Since then, the center has seen a 550 per cent increase in service demand for help.

To learn more about Lansdowne visit https://www.lansdownecentre.ca/.

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