Saultite running 4,200 km for charity gets donation from McDougall

NEWS RELEASE
MCDOUGALL ENERGY INC.
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McDougall Energy Inc. (McDougall Energy) and Imperial Oil’s Esso™ Community Program have donated $2,000 to help Rick Fall’s “FalloRick Home to Home” 4,200 km run from Victoria, British Columbia to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario raising money for Make-A-Wish® Canada and Childhood Cancer Canada.

The ambitious running event will kick off on April 12, which was originally planned to start in April 2020, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was delayed until this year in consultation with regional Public Health professionals.

“Rick’s journey is helping raise awareness for an important cause impacting children and families across Canada and in the communities McDougall Energy serves, and we’re thankful for the opportunity to help with some of his expenses,” said Darren McDougall, President, McDougall Energy. “We look forward to cheering Rick on and celebrating his return to Sault Ste. Marie later this summer.”

Rick will run 42 kilometres (the equal distance of one marathon) a day for 100 days, which will take him from Canada’s west coast, near his hometown of Duncan, BC to Sault Ste. Marie, where he has lived for the past 32 years. An experienced runner with a passion for helping people, Rick wanted to challenge himself and help raise money to support children with cancer and other critical illnesses.

The “FalloRick Home to Home” run is expected to take approximately four months to complete and will be done in self-isolation with strict physical distancing measures in place throughout his journey. Rick’s wife Colette accompanied him on the drive from Sault Ste. Marie to Victoria, and she will drive their motor home back to Sault Ste. Marie as Rick runs. The motor home is their temporary living quarters while travelling.

“My goal is to raise $300,000 to be split between Make-A-Wish Canada and Childhood Cancer Canada. I would like to thank McDougall Energy and other supporters for their financial support and encouragement to make this happen. I have run several marathons, worked with the annual Terry Fox Run, and am inspired by Terry Fox and Rick Hanson who have run and cycled across Canada for important causes. This is the marathon of my life, and I want to help children in need,” said Rick Fall.

McDougall Energy’s contribution will go towards fuel and travel expenses. With its headquarters in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, McDougall Energy is a trusted distributor and marketer of Esso™ fuel products across Ontario and owns a network of Esso and Shell™ branded retail stations.

In 2019, McDougall Energy expanded its retail team to Western Canada, which helps customers build and sustain a fuel and convenience retailing business as an Esso-branded wholesaler. 

Since 1949, McDougall Energy has been built on the support of the people and communities it serves, which is why it is so important to proudly give back through the Community Investment Program that provides corporate sponsorships, funding for important initiatives and charities, dedicated volunteer hours, and local investments. Esso is a key partner in the program and contributing back to communities across Canada.

“I have been training for this journey since I was very young, I just didn’t realize it. Staying active is important to me, and training has become more serious in the past few years when I decided to take on this endeavour,” continued Rick.

FalloRick has raised almost $20,000 of the $300,000 goal, and donations can be made towards his Home to Home adventure here. 

Those interested in keeping up to date with his journey can follow him on Facebook and at www.fallorick.com.

Learn more about Childhood Cancer Canada at www.childhoodcancer.ca, and Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Canada at www.makeawish.ca.

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