Join the 2025 Norfolk-Oxford Kidney Walk

Finn, Jana, Cam and Jeff Stuyt enjoyed the 2024 Norfolk-Oxford Kidney Walk to the Port Rowan Wetlands. This year’s Kidney Walk is Sunday, Sept. 21. (File Photo)

Chris Abbott, Post Correspondent

Every year, people unite at a Kidney Walk to celebrate the strength of the Canadian kidney and transplant community.

In Oxford and Norfolk counties, you can join this year’s annual Norfolk-Oxford Kidney Walk on Sept. 21. It begins at 74 Front Road, Port Rowan, at 11 a.m. Registration is 10:30 a.m.

A looping route of approximately 4 km gives participants an opportunity to see the Port Rowan Wetlands up close before heading back for a free barbecue and prizes for participants.

Last year’s Norfolk-Oxford Kidney Walk raised more than $7,000, adding to the amount raised since 2001 (now more than $70,000), when the Walk was held in Tillsonburg.

Donations can also be made to the Kidney Foundation online at kidneywalk.ca.

When you join the Kidney Walk, you are joining a passionate community with a shared belief in doing all they can to provide hope and support to loved ones living with kidney disease.

Every dollar raised fuels programs and services for those affected by kidney disease. All participants are encouraged to fundraise, as each contribution supports lifesaving resources for about one in 10 Canadians (more than four million people) who have kidney disease.

Participants who raise $150 or more will receive a commemorative T-shirt.

“The Kidney Walks really are the highlight of the year,” said Pat Shaw, President of the Kidney Foundation’s Ontario Branch in a media release. “They are places where people living with kidney disease feel loved and supported. They also see the strength of our community and learn that they aren’t alone in their experience.”

“Having had a child that had two kidney transplants, one for which I was a live donor, has kept me volunteering for The Kidney Foundation and the chair of the Norfolk-Kidney Walk for 24 years,” said Greg D’Hulster of Port Rowan. “We are still actively involved as we find this of such importance to make people aware and to help raise money for this very worthy cause.”

There is no cure for kidney failure. When kidneys fail, people need dialysis several times a week, or a kidney transplant to survive. Not everyone is eligible for a transplant. The wait list in Ontario for a deceased donor kidney continues to be four years on average.

Date: Sunday, September 21

Registration: 10:30 a.m.

Start Time: 11 a.m.

Location: Port Rowan

Route Length: 4 km