OTTAWA, May 2, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On May 5, 2013, thousands of Canadians of all ages will gather on walking paths, parks, and hiking trails across Canada to celebrate the 11th Annual Hike for Hospice Palliative Care. Although organized as a national event, each Hike is hosted locally.
"We created this event so that local hospice palliative care programs across the country without the capacity or staff to organize an event of this scale on their own are able to raise much needed funds," stated Sharon Baxter, Executive Director, Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA). "In May 2012, over 100 hike sites joined us in celebrating our tenth anniversary across Canada and raised over $1.7M, with 100% of those funds remaining in their local communities."
Currently in its 11th year, Hike for Hospice hikers can be found in local communities from Vancouver to St. John's.
"With an aging population in Canada, the demand for hospice palliative care services will continue to increase. Events like the hike help us raise awareness for quality hospice palliative care," stated Sarah Walker, President, CHPCA, "as the Executive Director of Hospice Calgary, I am proud to say that this is our eighth hike for hospice palliative care, and each year has been better than the last! Events like this really help out local communities."
It is currently estimated that only 16% to 30% of Canadians who die currently have access to or receive hospice palliative and end-of-life care services – depending on where they live in Canada. With a predicted increase in deaths to more than 330,000 by the year 2020, access to hospice palliative care is becoming more critical with every passing year.
"The Hike is an important event for raising awareness of, and funds for, hospice palliative care programs and services across the country," said Alison Pozzobon, with The GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. "We are proud to be the founding sponsor of this year's Hike for Hospice Palliative Care and to have employees who participate at various hike sites across Canada."
As in past years, 100% of the funds raised through the Hike remain in the local community, thanks to funding provided by Hike for Hospice Palliative Care founding sponsor, The GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, compassion level sponsors Bayshore Home Health, and Arbor Memorial.
A complete list of all participating Hike sites and additional information is available on the CHPCA website at www.chpca.net.