NORTH Vancouver resident Sherry Whitter will be among the hundreds of B.C. residents lacing up their sneakers March 3 for the B.C. Lung Association's 12th annual fundraising event, Climb the Wall: The Stairclimb for Clean Air.
According to a press release, this will mark Whitter's first time participating in the event, which challenges people to tackle one of the province's tallest staircases, the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel, in support of lung health and clean air. Proceeds fund lung health research, education and advocacy through the association, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing and helping people manage lung disease, and promoting lung health.
Whitter will dedicate her climb to her grandmother, Dora Ducharme, who passed away from lung cancer - although she never smoked - in March 2012. She'll be joined by two of her cousins and they're calling themselves Team Dora.
Since her grandmother passed away, Whitter has met many other people who've been impacted by lung cancer. Nearly everyone she's talked to about her grandmother has their own lung cancer story to tell, she says, in the release. Based on how many people are affected by the disease, she wants to help raise money to fight it.
Last year's Climb the Wall raised $190,000 for the association. The fastest climb time was 4: 25 and the average was 10-15 minutes.
Participants each pay a $25 registration fee and commit to fundraising a minimum of $125. Info: stairclimb.ca or bc.lung.ca.
