ELORA – Mike Duhacek is on another quest and this time he’s hoping everyone joins in.
Duhacek, of Elora, is employed by Halton Regional Police and has been the Cops4Cancer ambassador for the past two years.
He walked from Windsor to Ottawa in 2013 and raised $43,000; and from Owen Sound to Oakville this past winter, raising $23,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
Now he’s cooked up a way for every Canadian to join him in a fundraising journey around Canada.
That’s 23,000km, “and that’s more than I can do myself,” he said in an interview.
Duhacek has devised the Move Together Movement, where anyone who joins is on the team – one team aiming to collectively travel 23,000km, the perimeter of Canada – in the month of August while raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society along the way.
Duhacek himself is running a half marathon every day between Elora and Fergus, but he encourages everyone to participate however they can.
Run, walk, cycle, swim, do yoga – it’s your movement that helps the cause, Duhacek said, and it’s good for your health as well.
“Last year we had teams, and you wind up competing against each other,” he said.
“This time we’re all working together. One team with one goal.”
MIKE DUHACEK
Duhacek has invited 35 police agencies to join and the movement is gaining traction among the general population as well.
His family has all joined the team, including his six-year-old daughter, who has already logged 29km on her scooter.
To join the team, go to Duhacek’s website helpmeburycancer.com, and sign up either individually or with a team. And then get moving.
Record your kilometres and ask your contacts to sponsor you.
“Then please write me at mike.duhacek@haltonpolice.ca as often as you can so I can update the master spreadsheet with all of the up-to-date information,” he said.
Or if you’d rather help in a simpler way, you can donate by going to the secure Cancer Society link on helpmeburycancer.com.
“Every step, peddle, stride, stroke or pose you make, makes an incredible difference to the ones that need it most,” he said.
During his winter event, Duhacek said parents and children would come up and hug him for what he’s doing.
“I feel heartbroken for the children and their parents struggling with cancer,” he said.
“That’s the motivation for me.”
