The Big Chill
Lawrencetown school hosting snowshoe fundraiser for youth at risk
When Jasmine Brushett dons her snowshoes Feb. 18, she’ll be trekking 15 kilometres with a vertical climb of 550 feet.
It’s a challenge, but that’s what she’s there for.
She’ll be snowshoeing for her school, Lawrencetown Education Centre, in the second annual Big Chill, a Give To Live fundraiser at the old Twin Oaks ski hill just north of Middleton. Funds raised from this non-profit go toward youth at risk in Nova Scotia and particularly targeting students at LEC.
Jasmine doesn’t call herself an expert, but she’s done the school’s Snowshoe Challenge 5-K route before and she’s been training and fundraising a lot for the Big Chill, an event that attracts athletes from across the province.
“I think it’s going to be hard and I think it’s going to be fun,” she said. “At the end of it I’ll feel really good about myself and feel really good that I raised all that money for the school.”
Give to Live
Lawrencetown Education Centre principal Jamie Peppard said Give to Live is a national foundation that also does the Big Swim from New Brunswick to PEI, and the Big Ride which is the big bike ride around Cape Breton.
“So they were looking for a winter event so they took on our Snowshoe Challenge and with the help of our students groomed it into their winter event to raise money for what they consider worthy causes,” Peppard said.
He said the course has been improved from last year and athletes can register for the 5-K, 15-K, and 30-K.
Preparations
Two of the LEC students who’ve been helping preparing the course are Mitchell Carey and Kendall Kerr. And they’ll be on the hill Feb. 18 making sure everything runs smoothly.
“As of late we’ve been getting out on the course, cleaning it all up, making sure all the brush is out of the way,” said Mitchell. “Then once the actual event comes around we get out on the course, we have stations, and we have walkie-talkies and we’re just basically a check-up, like if anybody’s feeling fatigue or needs water or anything like that we have that there.”
“The walkie-talkie - we basically radio down to the tipi if anybody feels they need any medical attention,” Mitchell said. “Then we’ve got the snowmobiles and the four-wheelers that will come pick them up and take them down.”
Getting Involved
“People who want to become involved in the event sign up on the Give To Live Canada Helps website,” Peppard said. “Once they’re registered they go around and find people that will support them for the distance they choose to snowshoe. Once they get to a certain level they’re considered an active participant in that particular distance.”
Peppard said money goes into the Middleton Rotary Club, the schools community partner and it gets funnelled to Peppard’s program and the school distributes the funds. Scotiabank is another partner.
Students at LEC come from both Kings and Annapolis counties.
“I think LEC represents an opportunity for kids that maybe in the past haven’t had a chance to put their best foot forward in academics, in community service, in the physical side of things,” said Peppard. “By being able to put that best foot forward and have that recognized they’re one step closer to making a smooth transition into society and being really productive.”