WestJet V.P. Sales Duncan Bureau picks the winning donor
Mary Santonato, Tammy Crane & Michelle Palma on the final lap
Michelle Palma, Suzanne Christie
Mary Santonato & Tammy Crane enjoying a victory libation
Boy that was a long way... but, I guess that was the point. We’re well on our way to beating cancer but we have a long way to go. And, cancer is no walk in the park.
The 7 Wonders team surpassed their goal fund raising goal by almost $2,500 and brought in a respectable $17,695 in total. Their efforts were supported by friends, family members and colleagues as well as corporate sponsorships from WestJet, Transat Holidays, Sunwing, Cruise Strategies, Travelsavers, Flight Centre, the Handa Travel Group, TravelOnly, The Travel Corporation, TripCentral.ca, the Globus Family of Brands, Open Jaw and TakeOffeh.com.
WestJet also offered a draw for a pair of tickets as an incentive for anyone who donated a minimum of $25.00. WestJet V.P. Sales Duncan Bureau paid a visit to Open Jaw’s offices to make the official draw of the winning donor... drum roll please.... and the winner was: Sandi Dezainde, one of team member Sarah Hume’s friends and supporters. Sandi was thrilled, of course. I think she’s already packed and ready to fly.
We laughed and limped and cried... but, mostly laughed for 2 solid days meandering through the neighbourhoods of Toronto encouraged by an army of volunteers who looked out for us, looked after us and made sure we never went hungry or thirsty.
Some of the neighbourhoods we passed through made the whole experience incredibly special. Top of the list were King St. in Weston with almost every house decorated, families out front, handing out beer, lemonade and goodies and Downsview Ave. with its Italian hospitality... espresso (hot or cold) and home baking at many of the homes plus, with the heat and humidity at its mid afternoon peak... a misting tent!
But, my all time favourite encounter was with a little girl in Etobicoke who was out 1st thing Sunday morning pressing her own collection of Disney stickers onto walker’s badges. By the time we came along she was running low on Princess stickers and was wondering if she could really part with all of them... but, she thought about it for a second and pressed Ariel onto my badge.
The purpose of the Weekend To End Women’s Cancers is to “end cancer in our lifetime” in hopes that the next generation will not have to face the scourge that cancer has wrought on ours. I don’t want them to have to fight that battle.
The 7 Wonders are Dianne Jackson, Michelle Palma, Mary Santonato, Tammy Crane, June Samms, Sarah Hume & Suzanne Christie.
