Sunday morning’s Hike wasn’t just any walk in the park.

The 11th annual Hike for Hospice at Fish Creek Provincial Park raised more than $130,000 to directly support children, teens and families in Calgary coping with life-threatening illness or the death of someone close to them.

As the official player representative for Hospice Calgary, the Stamps’ Rob Cote participated in his ninth consecutive Hike for Hospice and was joined by fellow players Brandon Boudreaux, Charlie Power and Tim St. Pierre.

In all, more than 600 individuals came out to take in some sunshine and support the worthy cause. A strong contingent of the Calgary Stampeders Outriders led a pre-Hike warmup, and both Stampeders president John Hufnagel and the always-entertaining Ralph the Dog were on hand as well.

“This is my ninth Hike,” offered Cote post-Hike. “We’ve got beautiful weather, a great turnout and we’re raising some funds and some awareness for a very, very deserving cause in Hospice Calgary.”

In addition to making his presence felt on Hike day each and every year dating back to 2008, Cote makes regular appearances at the Hospice to meet with numerous kids who are suffering through the loss of a loved one.

“I’m very proud to be a part of this organization,” the Cochrane native explained when asked about his partnership with Hospice Calgary. “They do really, really good work and offer counselling to people that desperately need it and many other services that people may not be aware of. It’s days like today that I’m very happy to be a part of. As you can see, we’ve got a lot of people here with great energy.”

When the participants returned from the Hike, they were greeted with a complementary barbeque lunch and a series of prizes from the event’s loyal and generous sponsors. Mayor Naheed Nenshi also stopped by to offer his appreciation for event’s organizers and volunteers, as well as the continued public support of Hospice Calgary.

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