To our Bender Family,

 

I fully understand the planning, co-ordination, co-operation, teamwork, sacrifice, time, blood, sweat and tears that it takes to plan and execute a first class event…so I know I am qualified to praise everybody involved…

 

Race Director Samantha;

the organizing committee comprised of Jim, Jackie, Denis, Rob, Grace, Mike, Ivar, Maria and Paul;

and the large contingent of volunteers…

 

WOW! What an incredible job by some incredible people!! Truly a first class event…take a bow Bender Nation – you deserve it!

 

And of course all the other Benders, family and friends who showed their support through registration…THANK YOU!!

 

To be honoured with the race being named the Don Doan Dash, and then to have ALS named as the charity of choice…I have no words…speechless I am!

 

ALS is a relentless, insensitive disease that has NO effective treatment, and NO cure…and until the very successful ALS Ice Bucket Challenge fundraising venture in 2014, ALS research was grossly under-funded!

 

Neither treatments or cures are possible without funding! It is so essential that the momentum established by the Ice Bucket Challenge funding be maintained, and this can only happen through new fundraising ventures, which makes the DDD donation by the Benders so critical!

 

I was saddened to learn at an August 31st ALS support group meeting that a regular attendee at our meetings passed away in late July at age 37! I was further stunned to hear that in August in the City of Brampton alone (600,000 residents), a total of four new ALS diagnosis were confirmed! That’s a serious statistic, given that there are 2,000 to 3,000 Canada-wide ALS patients! It seems like the bad guys are winning, but on Sunday we dealt them a serious hit through the hosting of a successful event and by raising community awareness.

 

I’ve seen my potential future at Sunnybrook, and it isn’t pretty…however, on Sunday I was able to focus on the present, and your collective gift to me made the present very enjoyable. Pam and I are so pleased to have you in our corner for this heavyweight fight!  

 

FEEL PROUD OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS…THIS COMMUNITY GIVE-BACK WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL!

 

THANK YOU BENDER FAMILY!! YOU PUT NEW WIND IN OUR SAILS, AND WE HOPE TO LEAVE ALS IN OUR DUST! WE LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!

 

Don, Pam and families