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Heroes walk to grant wishes

A few Avengers, the Man of Steel and even Buzz Lightyear were seen at the Wishmaker Walk in Okotoks last weekend, but the real heroes were the hundreds who showed up to give sick children a chance to have their wish granted.
Todd Martin and son Finn put on their superhero faces before the Okotoks Wishmaker Walk on Oct. 3.
Todd Martin and son Finn put on their superhero faces before the Okotoks Wishmaker Walk on Oct. 3.

A few Avengers, the Man of Steel and even Buzz Lightyear were seen at the Wishmaker Walk in Okotoks last weekend, but the real heroes were the hundreds who showed up to give sick children a chance to have their wish granted.

The fourth annual walk raised $30,000 as nearly 450 people set out from the Duvernay Fieldhouse on Oct. 3 to walk in support of the Make a Wish Foundation.

This year’s tally brings the total amount raised by the event over four years to more than $200,000.

“It costs about $10,000 a wish, so if we reached $200,000 it means this community has granted 20 wishes, which is massive,” said Christine Killam, chairperson of the Okotoks Wishmaker Walk committee. “It’s an amazing contribution from the Foothills community.”

Walkers of all ages dressed for the occasion for this year’s ‘Heroes and Haggis’ event. Whole families were dressed as their favourite superhero, while the band Haggis entertained the crowd.

“Lot’s of people are dressed up and it’s great to see the spirit and people have come out regardless of the weather,” she said.

Killam helped organize the first Wishmaker Walk in Okotoks when her son Bennett was granted a wish.

It’s become a family affair as a team of family and friends turn out each year wearing their ‘Team Bennett’ T-shirts

“We decided that as a whole big family and friends we would walk together for Bennett,” said Teresa Killam, Christine’s sister-in-law.

Bennett has an inherited bone marrow syndrome and was granted a wish from the Children’s Wish Foundation.

He used his wish last summer to build a cabin behind his family’s back yard so he can bring friends and family over for sleep over parties. “We never miss it, it’s an important charity for us,” said Teresa. “Like I said, it being close, the wish receiver being a nephew of mine has made it an important family event.”

The walk has also become an annual tradition for one young cancer survivor and he got to take a lead role this year.

Jacob Croteau lead the walkers as they set out from the fieldhouse. It was a way for him to say thank you for being granted his own wish, a computer gaming system most gamers would drool over.

“I got a lot of gaming stuff, a computer, mouses, an entire gaming system and lots of games with it,” he said.

Croteau was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and has been through five cycles of chemotherapy. Now better, he said it meant a lot to him to get a wish and he would like more sick children to get the same chance he did.

“It’s very important to me and I really hope more kids in the world who are diagnosed with cancer will get a wish,” he said.

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