Aug. 21 marks the return of the Forever Young Run.
Tim Atkinson, one of the run’s organizers, says this year’s run will still be the eighth annual, despite the seventh being put off for a family wedding.
The run began in Calgary in 2004, and was expanded to Sicamous in 2007, as a tribute to Atkinson’s daughter Joah, and Brian Collins, who at ages 20 and 23, were struck and killed by a careless driver while crossing at a crosswalk.
The run is as much as a memorial as it is a fundraiser to benefit students who share Joah and Brian’s love of sport (rugby in particular). Two $3,000 athletics scholarships are awarded annually to University of Calgary students, one male and one female. Atkinson says one award is now targeted towards a student who plays on the women’s varsity team, the first of which went to Sylvie Mullen, a U of C student who, like Joah, came from White Rock, played with the same high school and rugby team.
Another beneficiary of the run is Eagle River Secondary. Each year one male or female student who shows a desire to exceed in sports is chosen to receive the $500 Joah Atkinson/Brian Collins Forever Young Athletic Award. “We’re raising funds, as usual, to up the pot on that and keep that rolling,” says Atkinson.
Start time for the run is 10 a.m. T-shirts commemorating the run are $20. All are welcome to participate. For more information, call 1-604-835-0521.