The Wounded Warrior Run BC wrapped up nearly a month ago, but donations have continued to be tallied.
Organizers knew they would set a new fundraising record, and would surpass their goal of $100,000, but they weren’t certain by how much.
In the end, they raised $122,196.80.
"Absolutely amazing the power of the island getting together to support one another. I'm so blown away!” wrote Jacqueline Zweng, Wounded Warrior Run BC Diirector, in an email.
They didn’t think they’d break the $120,000 mark.
“This absolutely exceeds expectations and I believe what this tells us is that more people are understanding what PTSD is and how they can help. I believe our reach is expanding which is directly shown through our fundraising efforts. I think the attitude is shifting that mental health concerns are equal to the wounds that we can see and we need to support them equally,” said Zweng.
Wounded Warriors supports programs for veterans and first responders living with PTSD.
The annual B.C. run takes the team from Port Hardy to Victoria.
While the run supports veterans, a well-known island coffee chain supports the event.
Donation jars had been placed at every Serious Coffee location, and it took a while to count all the money collected.
"Serious Coffee has been a strong supporter of the Wounded Warrior Run BC since its inception. They provide us with food/beverage stops all along the island during the run as well as donations,” said Zweng.
Every year they have a friendly competition to see which location raised the most funds, Zweng isn’t that surprised by the winner.
“This year it is the location at Nellies Block at CFB Esquimalt.”
