Barrie welcomes superheroes to Heritage Park

After a two-year pandemic-related virtual march, Superheroes are about to take to the streets again on Saturday.

The Superhero Stomp raises money for research and supports families of children with cancer during September's National Childhood Cancer Awareness month.

"There are 55 kids with cancer in Simcoe County," said Cheryl Gotthelf, who has fundraised for the Candlelighters Simcoe support group since 2005.

Gotthelf became a member of the organization after her 18-month-old daughter Kristen was diagnosed with cancer.

The now 19-year-old has beaten cancer twice, said Gotthelf.

"We used to call her our little superhero," she said.

Candlelighters supports families with children as young as 10 months old up to 18 years, she said.

Childhood Cancer Canada facts:

• There are about 10,000 children living with cancer in Canada today;
• Each year, about 1,500 cases are diagnosed;
• Because of advances in therapy, 78% of these children will survive five years beyond their initial treatment, an increase of almost 46% since the 1960s;
• In the early 1950s, less than 10 percent of childhood cancer patients could be cured;
• Leukemias, tumours of the brain, nervous/lymphatic system, kidneys, bones and muscles are the most common childhood cancers;
• In Canada, childhood cancer remains responsible for more deaths from one year through adolescence than any other disease;
• Leukemia is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in children, comprising 30% of the total new cases diagnosed yearly.

The Superhero Stomp, which runs Saturday, Sept. 17, at Heritage Park in Barrie, has one, three or five-kilometre options.

With hopes of raising equal to the virtual pandemic donations of $10,000, registration fees are $10 for two-to-10-year-olds and $25 for people aged 12 and over.

Registration begins at 3:30 p.m., with opening ceremonies at 4:15 p.m.

Participants are encouraged to dress as their favourite superhero to run, walk, bike or scooter the track. There will be pizza and medals for all participants.