Three friends are planning to take 100,000 steps in one day to raise funds to support mental health services.
Twin brothers Daniel and Nick Keys along with Lyndsey Janes will each be walking around 80 km in an attempt to raise $3,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association of Wood Buffalo.
The trio completed the feat last year, however, they didn’t accept any donations – something their parents questioned after they finished the challenge.
Nick tells Mix News they probably wouldn’t be doing it again if they weren’t planning to help the CMHA.
“Last year we started at 4 a.m. and we finished at like 10 or 10:30 p.m. and the funniest part was after we were laying on the ground and we each told each other that we’re never doing this again and look at us now.”
After some talks about which non-profit to support, the three decided they needed to help people get access to mental health supports.
Dan noted he knows many continue to deal with the aftermath of the 2016 wildfire, 2020 flood, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“We hope this will create some awareness and help people speak out more and seek the services they require.”
The challenge will happen on July 10.
They’re planning to start at 3 a.m. to ensure they finish in one-day.
The public is also being encouraged to join them, whether for the entire walk or for a small section.
“For the majority of the morning most of Fort McMurray will be sleeping so we’ll probably just be walking around trying to get some steps in, but during the day we’ll probably spend a lot of time at the local tracks up in Thickwood and Timberlea,” added Lyndsey.
They are accepting donations with hopes of collecting around $3,000. As of June 30, they’ve already received over $1,100.
