Honoring families affected by workplace tragedies; the annual Steps for Life walk will take place on May 4th.
The family-focused five-kilometer event on the Birchwood Trails is an opportunity for people to honour the lives lost and forever changed by workplace tragedies. Steps for Life is the top fundraising event for Threads of Life, a national charity that helps thousands of people across Canada.
Fort McMurray will hold its 13th Steps for Life walk this year raising awareness and funds for individuals and families coping with work-related fatalities, serious injuries, and occupational disease. During that time the community has raised close to $175,000 to support Threads of Life and has helped people understand the lifelong impact of workplace tragedies.
“My unique experiences with workplace tragedy have been seen through the intimate lens of a
first responder, an injured worker, an investigator, and a loved one left devastated when workers I loved were seriously injured and killed on the job,” says Wynny Sillito, spokesperson for this year’s Steps for Life in Fort McMurray.
Wynny was working as a Primary Care Paramedic when she suffered physical and psychological injuries while treating an operator who had been sprayed with a toxic industrial chemical at a remote gas plant. During treatment, the toxic substance transferred to Wynny causing chemical burns to her hands, arms, neck, face, and scalp.
Thread for Life, the Association for Workplace Tragedy Family Support, is currently helping over 3,600 family members across Canada who have suffered from a workplace fatality, traumatic life-altering injury, or occupational disease