The 10th annual RBC Race for the Kids took place Sunday morning at Heritage morning, and for Calgary youth like Riley Smith, the cause behind this race turned his life around. “It’s been very impactful, not just on me, but also my mom. It actually got me able to live life again,” Smith said. The RBC Race for the Kids raises funds for the Alberta Children’s Hospital, with the funds supporting wraparound supports for youth mental health. Smith is one youth who benefitted from this additional care, and he explained prior to going to the hospital he had suicidal tendencies and had troubles making friends. “Before, I was having troubles understanding people. I got bullied, I was so sad, I started crying every single day. But now I started getting my happiness back. All my joy, all my funniness, and all the ability to make friends and actually live life the way it was supposed to be like,“ Smith said. Since the race began 10 years ago it has raised more than $4 million in Calgary, and across the world it’s raised $100 million. The Alberta Children’s Hospital explained that the Alberta government provides basic mental health services, but these funds support programs like art therapy, music therapy, horticultural therapy, and more. “They’re so critical because for kids, it’s not just going to see a psychologist or therapist. It motivates them to come out, it makes them want to come and get the support. And it also enables them on their journey, because for children, they need a little bit more to really help them heal on their journey,” said Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation president and CEO Claudia Hudspeth. “If you didn’t want to talk about it, you can make it in art with different stuff, like showing your emotions and showing what you like, different things like that. It was just amazing, I really like it,” Smith added, explaining his experience in the wraparound supports. Hudspeth says one in five children or teens suffer from mental health issues, and 70 per cent of mental health conditions start in childhood. “It’s super important that we identify those kids and get them in care early, because early intervention is what really matters on a mental health journey. You can really change a child’s trajectory if you get them in early,” Hudspeth said. “The fabric of every community starts with youth and ensuring that youth would have access to the programs and services to ensure that they’re going to become very resilient as they grow into an adult,” added RBC regional president Kirk Muise. This year’s race saw more than 2,000 runners fill Heritage Park, with Muise saying it sold out very quickly thanks to strong community support. In fact, the support for the RBC run has been so strong every year that Muise says there are plans for a possible expansion to support growing demand. While it’s too early to say what this would look like, Muise says those discussions are taking place. “We have actually negotiated to move the event from Heritage Park, which has been a really great venue and great supporter for us, to a new venue that will accommodate much more individuals and also different race lengths as well, because we do have some folks that love to compete,” Muise said. Even though “race” is in the title of the event, the day is truly about supporting youth, and stories like Smith’s reminds all runners that regardless of what your final time was, the effort is well worth it. “My community and the Children’s Hospital and everybody really loves it and really enjoys it. Thank you for all of that,” Smith said.
