The Niagara Children’s Centre Superhero Run is still scheduled for Saturday, October 3. This year, we’re going virtual, with an ambitious goal of raising $60,000 to support the children and families who rely on our therapy services.

This annual family-oriented event brings together families who are involved with the Centre and community supporters, all with a common purpose of having fun and raising funds to support Niagara Children’s Centre. Our virtual experience will be no different. Families can register for the event online and they’ll receive swag bags loaded with freebies, a passport to track their fun, and instructions for unique activities, to be picked up at the Centre the week leading up to the event. Not only will you swing by to grab everything you’ll need, you’ll be treated to an icy treat to thank you for your participation.

On October 3, families and participants can share their pictures and videos on the dedicated Superhero Run Facebook page to connect with other families, or compete in person with others in their bubbles.

“We know this event is a favourite for the families of our Centre and members of the community,” says Oksana Fisher, CEO.  “We wanted to find a way to keep the spirit alive, while respecting the recommendations of our governments and health units. We’re thankful that our supporters and donors remain committed to our mission of helping kids shine and were excited to join us again this year – socially distanced style.”

Our family fun activities are a mixture of easy to-do, accessible and simple, requiring little to no set-up on the part of participants. They include:

• Zoom calls with a superhero
• Make a superhero badge
• Superhero dance parties
• Superhero story time
• Community walks (meet us out in your community at various locations, physically distanced of course)
• Acts of kindness Bingo

For the running portion of the event, we’ll ask families to time themselves and submit their times to our Superhero Run Facebook page. All participants will receive a t-shirt and medal this year to commemorate their participation, and we’ll be running contests for best dressed and most funds raised. The event will also have an online silent auction with tons of great items to bid on, with all funds raised from the event going towards providing therapy programs for children with special needs living in the Niagara region.

“Our family and friends participate in the Superhero Run for a lot of different reasons. Mainly, we participate because it’s just so much fun for kids of all abilities! Princess Marianna gets to run alongside her typically developing peers and take part in the same activities as them, and there aren’t a lot of opportunities for that elsewhere,” shared Lisa Strum, mother of Centre client Marianna.

“We also love coming because it’s fun!  It’s a great morning spent just watching all these kids run, play and just have a great time.  It’s so well organized and everyone there is smiling and truly enjoying themselves. This is one of our favourite family events of the year!”

To register for the run, or to donate to a participant’s crowdfunding campaign, you can visit www.NiagaraSuperheroRun.com. The cost to register is $20.25 for adults, $15.25 for children and infants under 2 are free.

Find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NiagaraChildrensCentreSuperheroRun to keep up to date, and to share in the fun on October 3.

About Niagara Children’s Centre:

Niagara Children’s Centre provided rehabilitation and support services to over 5,700 children and youth last year across the Niagara Region with physical, developmental and communicative delays.

Children cared for include those with developmental speech and language delays, autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, brain injury and neurological conditions and developmental delay.  The primary source of funding is the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

For further information contact:

Oksana Fisher, Chief Executive Officer                                                                 

Niagara Children’s Centre
905-688-1890 ext 102

oksana.fisher@niagarachildrenscentre.com

www.niagarachildrenscentre.com