By Leah Bauer
PORT DOVER—As the participants were getting ready to head out for the Hike for Hospice to benefit the Norfolk Haldimand Community Hospice (NHCH), they got a heartening update from the organizers that an anonymous donor has contributed $1 million to support the cause.
This was on top of the $56,000 that had been raised through the participants’ fundraising efforts.
Around 340 participants gathered at Silver Lake Park in Port Dover on June 6, 2026 for the fourth annual Hike for Hospice.
—Haldimand Press photo by Leah Bauer.
NHCH Executive Director Andrea Binkle said, “Every year we end up with more hikers. The first year we had about 100, last year was 250.”
She remarked that the support from the community is “just heartwarming.”
The initiatives of the hospice hit close to home for everyone, Binkle added.
“Everybody’s lost somebody, which means that almost everyone has experienced how a hospice will support them during those difficult times.”
Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady addressed the crowd and extended a “heartfelt thank you to the organizers, volunteers, and everyone lacing up their shoes for the hike.”
She added, “A community shows its true character by how it cares for its people, and here in Haldimand-Norfolk we do that to the absolute utmost, all of your efforts ensure that hospice care is not someplace else, but right here, at home, where it belongs.”
Haldimand Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley also joined Brady in addressing the crowd before the hike.
“This has affected many of us personally,” she said as she reflected on the loss of “a sister and other family members to cancer, and in these hard times we don’t have the services in Haldimand and Norfolk.”
Bentley thanked everyone involved, telling the crowd, “Thank you to the organizers, volunteers, sponsors, participants, and donors who have come together for this very important event. Your commitment, and your generosity, help ensure that compassionate hospice and palliative care services remain available to those individuals and families when they need them the most.”
The immense generosity and kindness demonstrated by all participants and donors will carry on in our community for years to come.
Learn more about the hospice at norfolkhaldimandhospice.ca. The online donation form will remain available until June 30.
