This year’s Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (May 25-26) featured 158 OCISO “Run for a New Start” volunteers, walking and running in the 2km 5km, 10km, half marathon and marathon events.
Together with their 400+ sponsors, our volunteers raised a record-breaking $37,873 to support the important work of Refugee 613 in the Ottawa area. THANK YOU!
And special thanks to the Race Weekend and the Scotiabank Charity Challenge for supporting charities like OCISO to fundraise in this way!
Check out the highlights as well as our team photos below, starting with our wintry training sessions leading up to the finish line!
Some highlights:
- For the 4th year in a row, our top individual fundraiser (with over $2,500 in donations) was our amazing OCISO volunteer, Elizabeth Gluckstal.
- Refugee 613 had their own Run for a New Start team led by their Director, Louisa Taylor. An anonymous donor pledged to match the first $5,000 raised by the R613 team, and thus their team was able to raise over $10,900.
- A special nod to Mike Bulthuis who raised over $1,700 as part of the R613 team.
- OCISO’s Board of Directors, led by Board President Jessie Thomson, again launched a Board team, and they far surpassed last year’s fundraising, with over $7,100 raised.
- Kudos to their top fundraisers, OCISO Executive Director Leslie Emory, Board member Noah Arshinoff and Jessie.
- The Board total was aided by a special $2,500 donation from Export Development Canada in recognition of the volunteer service of Eric Agyemang on the OCISO Board.
- A team from SurveyMonkey joined us again, and their numbers increased considerably to 44 runners and walkers!
- These dedicated employees have raised over $3,400 so far, an amount that could grow in the coming weeks, thanks to a SurveyMonkey matching program for employees.
- Ridgemont High School joined us again, mobilized by their energetic ELD teacher, Nadia Gandhi. Ridgemont fielded a team of 34 newcomer students and they again created quite a stir.
- For many students, running and walking in the Ottawa Race Weekend was one of their first major activities in Canadian society.
- Beyond the $2,000+ raised, this was a life changing experience, which has helped their English language development as well.
- Special thanks go to the Maple Wishes Foundation who sponsored the Ridgemont team with a $1,000 donation. NB: this is the second year in a row that Maple Wishes has supported Run for a New Start.
- Thanks to the recruitment efforts of OCISO Multicultural Liaison Officer Huong Thai, Glebe Collegiate Institute was represented by a record number of runners and walkers, 17 this year – students, teachers, staff and volunteers – and over $1,200 raised.
- We also acknowledge, for the second year running, a $1000 grant from Sole Responsibility, which covered the race fees for 22 Ridgemont newcomer students.
- Lastly, a very special thank you goes to Tanvir Rahman who came all the way from Toronto to run the half marathon and raised over $1,600 for our campaign.