Instead of their annual health walk, the Ste. Anne Hospital Fund is currently running a Virtual Wellness Challenge.

Raymond La Flèche is the President of the Ste. Anne Hospital Fund. He says normally they try to get as many people together as possible this time of year for a walk through Ste. Anne that is accompanied by all sorts of festivities in support of the hospital. With ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, he says they have shifted gears for this year.

"People can on their own, walk or run, or any exercise they want. It is a participation thing where we are asking for people to raise funds. We have prizes for the adult that raises the most funds and for the child under 12. It is not how many minutes you exercise, you are out there doing something and you are raising funds for a cause that people in our area find important, our local hospital."

Participants are encouraged to walk, run, swim, cycle, lift weights, or even dance. There aren't any limits.

The Ste. Anne Hospital Wellness Challenge began this past Sunday and will wrap up at the end of the day Saturday.

La Flèche says the money will all go toward projects related to the Ste. Anne Hospital.

"We have a community helipad that we built at the hospital and that is 100% funded by the fund. We have ongoing costs that have to do with that heliport so part of the money goes to that and part of the money goes to future projects. Eventually, we know that we will need a new E.R. for example so one day we will have to raise funds to help that happen."

However, they don’t just want to raise money. La Flèche says they also wanted to promote healthy living which is why they have the whole exercise portion of the Wellness Challenge.

Even though the Wellness Challenge is wrapping up, if you want to participate or support the Ste. Anne Hospital Fund, you can visit fondshopitalsteanne.ca.

Lastly, La Flèche says they want to recognize and thank healthcare employees for the amazing work they have done over the last year.

"We know that the healthcare workers are under a lot of stress, a lot of pressure and they still welcome us with a smile and they are still offering great services so I think at the end of the day, that is what I would like to concentrate on,” notes La Flèche "I think we can't do enough to recognize those people and make sure that we never forget them."