The Longboat Toronto Island Run is committed to making a difference in kids lives. Spend the day on beautiful Toronto Island and race the 10k or 5k, watch the kids run the 1k fun run, participate as a family in the 5k family run.

Chuckles for Charity is a hilarious evening of fun and laughter in support of a great cause.  Hosted as a successful fundraiser for several Oakville charities for 7 years in a row, Start2Finish is now thrilled to partner with the Touchpoint Foundation and RBC Wealth Management Dominion Securities to make Chuckles an exclusive Start2Finish and Touchpoint event!

Featuring cocktails, comedians and a great after-party, if you’re looking for an unforgettable night out or a fall pick-me-up this is a don’t-want-to-miss event!!

Click here for more information

Due to the alarming rate of child poverty, the number of children that begin each school semester without the proper school supplies is steadily rising.  Start2Finish provides a helping hand to these economically challenged families through our annual Backpack Program, which allows us to meet the needs of thousands of children from coast to coast.  Each fall Start2Finish, in cooperation with school boards and local administrators, identifies children with the greatest needs in low-income communities across the nation, and provides them with quality backpacks filled with vital school essentials. These tools help to “even the playing field” among students and equip them for success in the coming school year.

Supplies are collected throughout the late spring and summer, and then packed into the backpacks by dedicated volunteers from within the community at various locations across the country, as well as corporate sponsors, at the end of August.  The bags are delivered to inner city schools all throughout Canada during the first two weeks of September.

The Start2Finish 5K Running & Reading Challenge, which is the largest children’s run in Canada and beyond, takes place annually at the end of May, and marks the conclusion of the Running & Reading Club program for the year.

The run this year will be held at York University, as well as a number of other community locations nationwide, and will be expanding to additional university campuses across the country in the near future.

The race is coupled with a Jeopardy-style Reading Challenge, followed by an awards ceremony celebrating the children’s accomplishments complete with medals, trophies and prizes, as well as activities such as a fun zone, a reading zone, and lunch for all of the kids.

Locations: 

Saskatoon: 
Sunday April 29th
Run Start Time: 8:00 am
Police 1/2 Marathon and 5km Run, 

Edmonton: 
Saturday May 12th
Run Start Time: 10:05 am
Community Action Dash 10/5km Run

Winnipeg: (William Whyte and Sister McNamara)
Thursday June 7th
Event Start Time: 3:30pm
Assiniboine Park (Tentative)

Halifax: 
Saturday May 19th
Run Start Time: 2:00pm
Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, Doctors of Nova Scotia Youth Run

Central and Southwestern Ontario Clubs: 
(Toronto, Guelph, Waterloo, London, Burlington, Oakville, Hamilton)
Saturday May 26th
Run Start Time: 9:30 am
York University Panam Stadium, Toronto 

Eastern Ontario: (Ottawa and Kingston)
Saturday May 26th
Run Start Time: 4:00 pm
Run Ottawa HGT Sports Ottawa 5km run

Calgary: 
Sunday May 27th
Run Start Time: 1:00 pm
ScotiaBank Calgary Marathon Goodlife 5km Family Run/Walk

Burnaby: 
Sunday June 3rd
Run Start time: 9:30am
Run Up for Downs 5km Run/Walk, Simon Fraser University

Winnipeg: (Opaskwayak)
Sunday June 17th
Run Start Time: 7:15 am
Manitoba Marathon Super Run, University of Manitoba

To find out how you can volunteer at the 5K Running & Reading Challenge or for further information regarding the Start2Finish Running & Reading Club program, please contact Michelle Wray, Director of Community & Volunteer Relations, at 1-888-320-8844 or (905) 319-1885 ext. 206, or michelle.wray@start2finishonline.org.

Run4Change is a national event hosted by local schools and other corporate and community partners.  The Run and change campaign raises awareness of Start2Finish and the plight of child poverty across the nation, encouraging Canadians to run and/or bring in their change to change the life of a child.   Funds go towards our Running & Reading Club program, as well as the purchase of brand new running shoes for thousands of at-risk children across Canada.

Visit the Run4Change website for more information or to register.

The Start2Finish Gala is an annual spring celebration that takes place at the Oakville Conference & Banquet Centre in Oakville, Ontario and kicks off the Start2Finish fundraising calendar year.  It also serves to acknowledge the generosity of our sponsors and create awareness of Start2Finish and our programs operating both locally and nationally!

To purchase tickets, please register online or contact the Start2Finish office at 1-888-320-8844 ext 201.

Get Lit(erate) Guelph is an annual fundraiser in support of the Start2Finish Running & Reading Clubs (Guelph).  The event seeks to promote the value of literature in positively impacting the lives of readers. This reflects the Start2Finish Running & Reading Club’s goal of empowering kids with the tools to lift themselves out of poverty and achieve lifelong success.

The event features local celebrities or well-known community members reading a passage from their favorite book and sharing how it has impacted and inspired them. Our hope is that their stories will, in turn, encourage attending members of the community to help empower local children to create similar stories of their own as they build their cycle of success through the Start2Finish program.

To purchase tickets, please register online or contact Wendy Banks at guelph@start2finishonline.org or (226) 821-0512.

Chuckles for Charity is a hilarious evening of fun and laughter in support of a great cause.  Hosted as a successful fundraiser for several Oakville charities for 7 years in a row, Start2Finish is now thrilled to partner with the Goddard Group Foundation and RBC Wealth Management Dominion Securities to make Chuckles an exclusive Start2Finish event!

Featuring cocktails, comedians and a great after-party, if you’re looking for an unforgettable night out or a fall pick-me-up this is a don’t-want-to-miss event!!

The Longboat Toronto Island Run is committed to making a difference in kids lives. Spend the day on beautiful Toronto Island and race the 10k or 5k, watch the kids run the 1k fun run, participate as a family in the 5k family run.

Due to the alarming rate of child poverty, the number of children that begin each school semester without the proper school supplies is steadily rising.  Start2Finish provides a helping hand to these economically challenged families through our annual Backpack Program, which allows us to meet the needs of thousands of children from coast to coast.  Each fall Start2Finish, in cooperation with school boards and local administrators, identifies children with the greatest needs in low-income communities across the nation, and provides them with quality backpacks filled with vital school essentials. These tools help to “even the playing field” among students and equip them for success in the coming school year.

Supplies are collected throughout the late spring and summer, and then packed into the backpacks by dedicated volunteers from within the community at various locations across the country, as well as corporate sponsors, at the end of August.  The bags are delivered to inner city schools all throughout Canada during the first two weeks of September.

The Start2Finish 5K Run for Change, which is the largest children’s run in Canada and beyond, takes place annually at the end of May, and marks the conclusion of the Running & Reading Club program for the year.

The run this year will be held at York University, as well as a number of other community locations nationwide, and will be expanding to additional university campuses across the country in the near future.

The race is coupled with a Jeopardy-style Reading Challenge, followed by an awards ceremony celebrating the children’s accomplishments complete with medals, trophies and prizes, as well as activities such as a fun zone, a reading zone, and lunch for all of the kids.

To find out how you can volunteer at the 5K Running & Reading Challenge or for further information regarding the Start2Finish Running & Reading Club program, please contact Michelle Wray, Director of Community & Volunteer Relations, at 1-888-320-8844 or (905) 319-1885 ext. 206, or michelle.wray@start2finishonline.org.

Run4Change is a national event hosted in partnership with Scotiabank, local schools, and other corporate and community partners.  The Run and change campaign raises awareness of Start2Finish and the plight of child poverty across the nation, encouraging Canadians to run and/or bring in their change to change the life of a child.   Funds go towards our Running & Reading Club program, as well as the purchase of New Balance “Pathway” shoes for Start2Finish, for thousands of underserviced children across Canada.

Each year, Start2Finish spotlights the Run4Change in Hamilton, inviting national and local event sponsors to celebrate and raise support for the hundreds of children served by Start2Finish both locally and throughout the country.  The  event will feature local entertainment, with appearances and greetings from entertainment and sports celebrities to cap off a successful campaign, helping to raise awareness and provide brand exposure for our sponsors.

Visit the Run4Change website for more information or to register.

The Start2Finish Gala is an annual spring celebration that takes place at the Oakville Conference & Banquet Centre in Oakville, Ontario and kicks off the Start2Finish fundraising calendar year.  It also serves to acknowledge the generosity of our sponsors and create awareness of Start2Finish and our programs operating both locally and nationally.

This year's theme for the evening is "BELIEVE", and it is sure to be a fun and impactful night of fine food and wine, the company of good friends, some fabulous shopping through our auction, and a chance to show the most vulnerable kids in our community that you BELIEVE in them enough to help them graduate and build a cycle of success!

To purchase tickets, please register online or contact the Start2Finish office at 1-888-320-8844 ext 201.