Run 4 Wishes - Sea legs hit the shore running

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=159213&sc=98

Sea legs hit the shore running
Members of the crew of HMCS Charlottetown are running from one tip of the Island to the other to raise money for the Children’s Wish Foundation

ISABELLE GALLANT
The Guardian

Lt. Commander Wade Carter, left, and team leader, Leading Seaman
Michael Murphy, are gearing up for the Run 4 Wishes. The event,
which raises money for the Children’s Wish Foundation. P.E.I. will
have a team from the HMCS Charlottetown running across the Island
this week. Guardian photo

The sixth annual Run 4 Wishes team starts running across P.E.I. this morning.
The 23 team members — all part of the crew of the HMCS Charlottetown — are running to raise money for the Children’s Wish Foundation.
The run starts today at North Cape and ends Saturday, Aug. 9 in Charlottetown. Over the five days, the runners will visit more than 25 communities from the eastern tip to the western tip of the Island.
Team leader and leading seaman Michael Murphy said there are two goals for this year’s event.
“The first goal is to raise as much money as we can for the Children’s Wish Foundation. The second goal is to meet as many people on Prince Edward Island as possible.
“It’s our namesake city and province, so we added an extra day from Wood Islands to West Royalty Sobey’s, so we could touch more people in the province.”
Murphy spoke at a press conference held yesterday to launch the run.
He said he hopes Islanders will come out to support the team and run with them.
“We don’t get to come to P.E.I. too often, so when we do come here, we try to make as big an impact as possible, and we really want to get out and see everybody on the Island, and we’re hoping that everybody can come out and see us.”
There will be a barbeque at Sobey’s stores across P.E.I. each day of the run, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sobey’s is one of the major sponsors of the event and has been with the team since they started running six years ago.
A Sea King helicopter will also be making landings throughout the week at various communities to promote the run.
This year, Run 4 Wishes is hoping to raise enough money to grant wishes to four Island children.
Each wish costs an average of $11,000. The HMCS Charlottetown has already raised $13,000 through fundraising efforts on their ship. Last year, the run raised a total of $32,000.
“The more money we can provide for (the foundation) means the more wishes they can grant for children that need them the most, to put the smile back on their faces,” said Murphy.
Lee Gauthier, representing the Children’s Wish Foundation, expressed his gratitude to the runners and the whole crew of the ship for their efforts.
“The endurance level is something some people don’t realize. I mean, to run for the next five days and to be pounding on the pavement, and also doing the community work that you will be doing . . . we certainly appreciate the effort you put in,” he told the runners.
The HMCS Charlottetown is docked in Halifax right now, but travels all over the world. Crew members hail from across Canada, said Murphy, and there is at least one Islander participating in the run this week.
Islanders can donate to Run 4 Wishes by dropping by any of the Sobey’s barbeques, the foundation’s office in Charlottetown or visiting the website. You can also donate at any Credit Union across the Island.
You can find the runners’ schedule and events schedule online at: www.peirun4wishes.net