Paul, left, and Doug Lavoie of Calgary have raised around $400,000 for the Calgary Food Bank through running and walking events.Supplied
The organizers: Paul and Doug Lavoie
The pitch: Raising $400,000 and climbing
The cause: the Calgary Food Bank
When Doug Lavoie was about to turn 50 last year he didn’t want a party, he wanted to do something more impactful.
He told his husband, Paul Lavoie, that they should run one half-marathon a week for 50 weeks, and use the event to raise money for the Calgary Food Bank.
“I said, ‘Wow,’ and kind of pretended like I didn’t hear him,” recalled Paul, who added that the two were casual joggers. “Then I said, ‘Sure,’ thinking he’ll settle that down to maybe one a month or something like that.”
His husband stuck to the plan and they recently finished their last half-marathon. They also managed to raise around $139,000. “It took off like crazy,” said Paul, who is 58. “All of a sudden everybody was really behind us.”
Few people were more surprised than officials at the food bank. “They actually asked us, ‘Why did you pick us?’” Paul said. He explained that food insecurity was a major issue for him and Doug, and that charities like the food bank receive little public support. “We picked the underdog.”
The couple wanted to keep the momentum going so they decided to organize something that would allow more people to participate. A few months ago they launched theWalk.ca, a fundraising event that takes place on Thanksgiving Day. They’ve already raised $247,000 in donations for the food bank “and we haven’t even walked the walk yet,” Paul said with a laugh.
The event takes place around a seven-kilometre loop in a Calgary park, and participants can walk seven, 14 or 21 km. The Lavoies, who manage an interior design business, have also been organizing “practice walks” from their home; casual strolls that have attracted dozens of people each month.
The practice sessions “put together people from all different parts of life, people who would never meet each other, and all of a sudden they’re walking and talking for an hour,” he said. “We have not pressured anybody into giving us money. This is the thing I’m most proud of; people have just given us money.”