A beloved fundraiser made its high-flying return to the skies above Sudbury’s hospital Wednesday night. After an almost six-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Superheroes for Little Heroes returned to Health Sciences North, where a large crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite caped crusader. The event sees Sudbury police officers with the emergency response team dress up as superheroes and rappel down the side of the building to bring joy to the crowd outside and the children inside the hospital fighting battles of their own. “This event brings the community together,” said Giulia Carpenter, manager of community engagement and event fundraising with the HSN Foundation. “It’s great to have all community members. Even a lot of the staff members come here with their kids and be able to see how we have different organizations coming together.” Six-year-old Jayden was there with his mother, Kaitlyn Ryan. “I want to see Spider-Man,” Jayden said. Ryan said they were excited to see all the superheroes. “We came to see them come climbing down the ropes and have fun and see more of the activities,” she said. The event, which has been around since 2016, doubles as a fundraiser in support of pediatric care. “The money is going to some priority items and equipment that will help keep kids closer to home, because that is our priority here, is to make sure that kids aren’t travelling down (south) when they’re unwell and staying here close in the community,” Carpenter said. Twelve officers took part, including Const. Andrew Porringa, who was dressed as Spider-Man. “Working with the Sudbury police on the tactical unit, we do a lot of training. And it’s often just for work, but we get to take our training and bring it to a good cause,” Porringa said. “Raising money for children and the sick kids here. And it’s just a great, great opportunity to work with the community and to be able to see all the kids cheering and they get to see the kind of work we do.” Additionally, a member of the canine unit took part in the rappel for the first time, with support from his handler, drawing cheers from the audience. Katrina Miller, a youth safety coordinator with the police, was dressed as Supergirl. While she wasn’t rappelling the side of the building, Miller said it was important for her to be there. Celebrate the good moments “As a youth safety coordinator, we work with youth and we want to celebrate them and celebrate the good moments and also showcase, the wonderful things that the police service does and our appreciation for everybody in the community,” she said. “And we know that children are our future moving forward, and we want to have the best relationship possible with them on behalf of the police service.” Police Chief Sara Cunningham said the fundraiser is also about building a relationship with the community. “We often say, you know, you need to see beyond the uniform, see us as humans that live in this community,” Cunningham said. “And we’re looking to build relationships not only with the community, but with our youth.” Carpenter said there is hope for the event to become bigger and better in the years to come.
