Steps for Life: Why we walk

Photo copyright Tom Buchanan

There are so many demands on your time: kids, parents, work, hobbies, community, fitness, chores, travel – the list is almost infinite. After the absolutely necessary items are checked off, How do you choose what to do with the hours that are left? It’s a bit like making an investment decision – where can those hours do the most good? Where do your interests lie? What legacy would you like to leave for your children?

At Threads of Life, we believe that Steps for Life – Walking for Families of Workplace Tragedy is a worthy investment for your time. Steps for Life is a five-kilometre walk which builds momentum for workplace health and safety, and raises funds to support families affected by workplace fatalities, illnesses and serious injuries.

Thousands of Canadians walk each year in Steps for Life events across Canada, and dozens volunteer their time to plan and make the walk happen. Why do they choose to invest their time in Steps for Life? The reasons are as varied as the walkers.

“Steps for Life provides an opportunity for our community to honour and show support to those that have been impacted by a workplace tragedy. Not only is it a day to reflect but it also serves as a platform to generate a greater awareness of the importance of workplace health and safety. I continue to volunteer my time for Steps for Life and co-chair the Durham Region walk because I believe everyone involved, participants and volunteers, are ‘putting the right step forward’ and positively impacting a change for today and for the future.”

-Kerri Stewart, Durham

 

“The reason I have been a volunteer with Steps for Life/Threads of Life since 2011 and have somehow made it to chair the Halifax planning committee, is simple: the families. No family should have to wonder if when they say, ‘have a nice day’ it will be the last time due to a workplace fatality or disabling injury. We need to keep raising awareness to help ensure everyone goes home from work at the end of the day/night. Once the incident occurs, the families require ongoing support and guidance to deal with everything that comes along with a workplace tragedy (lawyers, reporters, strangers, etc.).”

-Lissa Gaudet, Halifax

 

“Many of the people who are involved with Steps of Life take part for personal reasons; often because we have known or loved someone who has suffered illness, injury or tragic loss, as the result of a workplace incident. For me it is extremely personal. I have dedicated most of my adult life to making sure others make it home to their families. In my career, I have treated workers who have been injured on the job; I have been injured on the job; and I have lost someone that I loved to a workplace tragedy. In 2011 I suffered chemical burns to my hands, arms, face and scalp while providing medical treatment to a co-worker who had been sprayed with a chemical. My injuries left me painfully washing pieces of my scalp off of my head for weeks. Most recently, in September 2014 my best friend’s youngest brother Jon was killed in a workplace incident while attempting to rescue his co-worker. Neither of them survived.

I volunteer for the workers who live through the tragedy. I volunteer for the families who suffer the devastation. I volunteer for Jon, and those like him who never made it home, and the heartache it leaves behind.”

-Wynny Sillito, Calgary

Why will you walk? Visit the web site to choose your local walk and find a perfect investment for your time.