Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon & 5k – Join Team Dr. Peter in the Scotiabank Charity Challenge!

"We don't run – we walk!" says Chris Cross with a boisterous laugh. For Chris Cross and Margie Kennedy, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge Half-Marathon & 5k is a chance to raise money for the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation and to get out to Stanley Park for a little fresh air fitness.

"Last year I raised $1,200, this year I'm going to try to raise $1,500 – and walk faster!" For Margie, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is about a new way of giving. "Not everyone can write a big cheque, but we can all give a little bit. We both have a group of friends that support us in everything we do.

You'd be surprised how eager people are to help – I think most people want to give to a good cause, but nobody's asking them."

For Chris and Margie, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a fantastic way to support a cause they feel so passionately about. Both Chris and Margie are regular volunteers at the Dr. Peter Centre, the HIV/AIDS health care clinic operated by the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation.

For Chris, it is a cause that hits very close to home. "Dr. Peter was my cousin," she explains. Dr. Peter Jepson-Young was a young gay physician who was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1986. When he became too sick to practice medicine, he worked to change the public's perception of HIV/AIDS through a weekly diary series on CBC-TV.

Weeks before he passed away in 1992, Dr. Peter established the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation. Today, The Dr. Peter Centre provides support for over 350 Day Health program participants and 26 live-in residents with highly specialized needs. All of the Center's clients are HIV positive, and most also struggle with issues of homelessness, poverty, mental health and addiction.

"I suppose that's why I support the Dr. Peter Center," explains Margie. "HIV affects the most vulnerable people in our society – and the Centre helps them get back on their feet. They have good meals, excellent nurses, counseling and art and music therapy – I help run the community garden plot that the Centre has. They have something for everyone."

For Chris, the Scotiabank Charity Challenge is a chance to get out with like-minded people – people who are passionate about making a difference in the community. "Last year, there was such a feeling of camaraderie – so many people out running for a good cause. My goal this year is to get more people to do the walk with me."

Help Chris and Margie realize their goal by joining Team Dr. Peter! If you can't run or walk on race day, you can still support Team Dr. Peter by pledging Chris, Margie or another team member and cheer us on in reaching our goal of $25,000!!

For more details on how you can get involved, email us at events@drpeter.org.