The Canadian Cancer Society's CIBC Run for the Cure returns in-person this weekend across the country, including in Windsor.
The local event takes place on Sunday at Festival Plaza on Riverside Drive with registration opening at 8 a.m. and opening ceremonies following at 9 a.m.
Officials say breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian women, with one in eight expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime.
The Run for the Cure gives families, friends, and supporters the opportunity to come together to change the future of breast cancer.
Padma Mohan, volunteering and engagement lead, says everyone is looking forward to getting back to the event after two years of virtual runs.
"In addition, to this being beyond the COVID-19 virtual running, this year is in-person and everybody is very excited. The whole team is actually full, revamped and renergized to do the whole process."
Mohan says they've raised a lot of money over the years, and this year, they're going to be celebrating 25 years of the event locally.
"In Windsor for the 24 years so far, the revenue raised was $4,355,453," she said.
Last year more than 20,000 participants raised $11 million nationwide, which is now being used to fund ground-breaking breast cancer research, our ongoing work with governments to shape a healthy society, and a compassionate national support system for people living with breast cancer and their families.
Mohan says the event will be mostly the same as it was prior to the pandemic, but one difference will be a Participants of Hope lounge.
It'll be full of survivors of breast cancer, those who are actively in treatment, or people carrying the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
"Or those living with metastatic breast cancer, they will have their own lounge. Where there will be volunteers to support them, get them settled and if they are interested in taking the walk. And then there's also going to be a Wall of Hope where the participants can actually sign," she said.
Mohan says they're still looking for volunteers for the event, and they're also hoping to surprise 200 participants.
More information and how to sign up or donate can be found on Windsor's event page.