104-year-old Victoria man completes final laps of 104-lap walk for charity
With more than 100 supporters cheering him on, veteran John Hillman walked the final 14 laps of 104 laps around the courtyard of his Oak Bay retirement home in his effort to raise money for the charity Save the Children.
The 104-year-old Second World War veteran started his epic fundraising journey on May 1. His goal over the 10 days was to raise $104,000 as he walked 104 circuits of the Carlton House courtyard.
Now that Hillman has completed his trek to help children, he says he is overwhelmed by the support he has received from the community.
So far, his 2023 campaign has raised more than $75,000.
“I didn’t expect quite so many [supporters] but I’m very pleased to have them,” said Hillman. “I’m proud of myself and I’ve done what I intended to do."
This is the fourth year Hillman has embarked on his drive to raise money for children in need. Since he completed his first walk of 100 laps in 2019, he has raised almost $400,000 for Save the Children.
Hillman was joined on his final 14 laps by the head of the Canadian children’s charity.
Staff with the agency say they are increasingly responding to more crises globally and due to the pandemic, much of the progress the charity has made during the past three decades has taken a step back due to ongoing challenges.
“John’s support and the support from this community has been huge and we’ve been able to scale up our work in many parts of the world,” said Save the Children president and CEO Danny Glenwright. “John’s really committed to children in crisis and to making sure children have an education and that’s the work that Save the Children does.”
Hillman says he still has a little way to go to reach his $104,000 goal, but he is confident it will be met in the next few days.
As for his plans to walk 105 laps to raise $105,000, for the children’s charity, Hillman says he will have to think about it.
“I’ll see what 105 brings me and I’ll make up my mind later on,” said Hillman.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.