Papa walks 4 Kids coming to the Pontiac later this month

Papa walks 4 Kids coming to the Pontiac later this month

A sequel to a successful charity walk will be held in the Pontiac   at the end of August.

Russell Mackay, 85, will be walking 50 km throughout the Pontiac region to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). While that might be an ambitious feat for anyone his age, Mackay is also blind and diabetic. Affectionately known as “Papa” to his family, Russell is an avid walker with a history of fundraising for health care services.

His daughter Crystal explained that Russell had received care for his eyesight in a clinic adjacent to CHEO, and said that helping children is close to his heart. For Russell’s first fundraiser for the organization back in 2020 he walked more than 100 km from his home in Beachburg, Ont., to CHEO’s campus in Ottawa, raising more than $120,000. Friends and family walked alongside him and drove an RV behind him to ensure his safety and keep up his spirits. Their goal this year is to bring in $30,000 for a round total of $150,000.

Having been raised on a farm in the Charteris area, Russell will be treading on some familiar ground. His walk this year will kick off at the Anglican Church in Portage-du-Fort on Sunday, August 27 at 11 a.m. Crystal said that they hadn’t quite nailed down the schedule, but he would be making the rounds of several communities throughout the region in the following days. The fundraiser will have a grand finale at the Shawville Fair’s opening ceremonies on Thursday August 31, between 6:30 and 7 p.m.

The public can follow along with Mackay’s progress via their social media.

Donations can be made directly on the group’s CHEO foundation page.

The full interview with Mackay (6m50) is available here.