Annual Run for Vaughan in support of new hospital goes virtual amid COVID-19

Statements were heard this year from Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at fundraiser for Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 28, 2020
Aileen Zangouei

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association held its 17th annual Run for Vaughan on Oct. 25 to raise funds to support the development of the new Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital.

The Run for Vaughan took place in the morning and was held virtually for the first time ever due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year, participants tracked their running or walking times through an integrated application.

The top runners were then announced during the virtual event, which was livestreamed on YouTube.

“One of our core objectives is to serve humanity and undertake projects that bring lasting change to the community,” Zubair Afsal, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, said at the recording studio where the livestreaming took place.

“We look forward to having thousands participate and raising several hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for all of our runs, unlacing Run for Vaughan, our flagship event,” Afsal said.

Since the inception of the creation of the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, the Run for Vaughan has raised more than $1 million for the hospital.

The Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital is Canada’s first smart hospital, which will be able to seamlessly connect patients to their electronic medical records at all parts of their care journey.

Vital to curb the spread of infectious diseases, including the coronavirus, the hospital also has a state-of-the-art ventilation system that contains air flow within some rooms, and even entire hospital floors.

Several elected officials also took part in the virtual event, including a video statement sent in from Premier Doug Ford and a statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.