How James O'Brien accomplished a dream — and gave back

James O’Brien had always intended to finish the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage that traces across Spain to the shrine of the apostle Saint James. He started the trek four years ago, but problems with his arches cut it short. 

Then this past year, he learned about The Great Bucket List Challenge, a fundraiser for ARCH Hospice a home-away-from-home which provides quality, compassionate care through end-of-life to Algoma District families at no cost. The challenge asks participants to live out their dreams by ticking one thing off their bucket lists, all while collecting pledges in support of the hospice. 

“People can step up — if you have something you’ve always wanted to do, or something you’ve been afraid to do, something you’ve been putting off — you can collect pledges. I learned about this at the Great Bucket List Ball; the bucket listers throughout the year tell their stories and talk about the money they’ve raised. So I said, that’s a really neat idea.”

It reinvigorated his sense of purpose, and this past September, he finished the Camino, covering 470 kilometres.

He carried a backpack and slept at hostels as he made his way along the Primitivo route through the mountains, it took 21 days.

“Some days it was challenging; other days — the scenery was just so incredible, it takes your breath away,” he says.

Next year, he plans to complete the 100-kilometre bike ride around St. Joseph Island for The Great Bucket List Cycle, also in support of ARCH. 

Originally from Ottawa, O’Brien moved to Sault Ste. Marie 14 years ago with his wife, an anaesthesiologist. The stay-at-home dad is also a cabinet maker and yoga teacher, who offered yoga classes in exchange for donations to his Bucket List Challenge.

“The Healing Loft gave me a space to teach yoga [in exchange for donations]. Sault Hot Yoga — I did a class outdoors by the canal with them, and the money went to the challenge, also at Fit Bodies Fit Minds — he matched everything I raised thru yoga classes there. It all added up.”

O’Brien was surprised by the generous support he received: he set his initial target at $4,000, but raised over $7,000.

“It was pretty grassroots,” he says. “I only received one donation through the online portal. The rest was all face-to-face; I approached people and talked to them. Nobody actually said no.”

“Most people are aware of ARCH;” he says. “Everybody knew about it, or had some connection to it one way or another. Going into it, I thought of it mostly as an end-of-life care facility. But there’s so much more that goes on. I have a couple of friends who, in the last year, have lost children. One friend’s 30-something daughter passed away from breast cancer, another had a son who overdosed. They’ve both been going through grief counseling at ARCH. That’s what speaks to me, mostly. I started to realize over the last year how important that is.”

“They walk people through those difficult days and months — even years afterward. You are always welcome to come there and get support if you need it; because the grieving process is different for everyone — it can last a short time or a long time.”

Because ARCH’s operating budget is funded almost entirely through outside donations, there’s always a need — to the tune of $750,000 per year.

“It doesn’t have to be a big challenge,” says O’Brien. “One woman learned to stand-up paddleboard, for example. It’s just something you’ve always wanted to do.”

O’Brien acknowledges that while there are certain limitations and “not a lot of money floating around [the Sault], whenever I approached people about this challenge, every single one of them found something to donate. That’s something I’ve heard and seen in this community; people really do step up.”

“It was something I wanted to do and had been putting off. So I used it as an opportunity to give back. By doing this way, I did it a little faster, and managed to raise some money for a great cause.”

He encourages others to do the same. “If there’s something in the back of your mind that maybe you’d like to try; just go for it. You’ll be surprised at what you can do.”

Want to try the Great Bucket List Challenge for yourself? Find out how here.