Randy Spensley is hoping Nanaimo residents will be generous enough to provide him with $2,000 of “bail money.”
Spensley, The Kidney Foundation of Canada’s Nanaimo chapter president, is holding a fundraising event Aug. 25 at Country Club Centre’s parking lot, near Dairy Queen.
“There’s going to be a 30-foot scissor lift,” said Spensley. “I’m going to be in an old-fashioned jailbird outfit and it’s a ‘get me down’ challenge and I’m going to be up there from basically 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. and we’re just trying to raise awareness for the Kidney Foundation through organ donation and see if we can spread some information.”
Spensley said there will be an information table and people can make donations, which will go towards the upcoming Kidney Walk, taking place Sept. 23 at Maffeo Sutton Park. He said community businesses will be called in order to raise money as well.
According to Spensley, one in 10 people in Canada are affected by kidney disease in some way. There are 400 people awaiting kidney transplant in B.C.
“So if you take a look at the cross-section of Nanaimo, let’s just say that there’s 90,000 people, there could be 9,000 people walking around with potential kidney disease … first and foremost is the awareness portion, second portion would be trying to raise some funds for the Kidney Walk to go to the Kidney Foundation and thirdly to have fun,” Spensley said.
The target for the event is $2,000, said Spensley.
To make a donation to Nanaimo’s Kidney Walk, go to https://kidney.akaraisin.com/ui/16810/g/18094.
reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
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