Meet one of the families you’ll help through Steps for Life

Compassion can change lives. With registration open now for Steps for Life 2024, it’s compassion for Canadian families that is driving walkers, fundraisers, sponsors and donors to get involved. For all the reasons so many people participate in Steps for Life (fun, exercise, networking, prevention), compassion is at the core.  We’d like you to meet one of the families you’ll be helping. 

Martina and Rebecca baking in the kitchen

“I am one of many people across Canada who have been impacted by a workplace tragedy,” says Rebecca. “On June 13, 2017, my sister Martina was killed in a workplace accident involving an industrial lawnmower. She was 21.”

“While my family was able to lean on one another for support and strength, we were all very broken and trying to put those pieces back together. When we attended our first Threads of Life Family Forum in 2018, it was overwhelming to see how many other families had gone through similar tragedies. Being able to talk openly about our loss and our grieving journey with the Threads of Life family has been a very healing experience for all of us.”

Thanks to the funds raised through Steps for Life and donated by partners, Rebecca and her family have been able to attend family forums together, and now Rebecca is giving back to support other families. In November she completed training to become a Volunteer Family Guide – training also supported by Steps for Life. Rebecca also served as the Steps for Life family spokesperson for Vancouver last year. 

“Without events such as Steps for Life, family forums wouldn’t be a possibility,” she says. “I’m thankful for Steps for Life for not only giving us the opportunity to come together and remember those impacted by workplace tragedies, but also the chance for us to become more aware of our duty to prevent future workplace tragedies.”

When you participate in Steps for Life, you’re putting your compassion into action to help thousands of family members like Rebecca, who need support after a work-related fatality, serious injury or occupational disease. This year there are 30 Steps for Life walks in communities across the country, or you can opt to walk on your own as part of our national online event. Register now, and start changing lives!