Families of fallen soldiers and first responders will take part in a relay-style walk, donating defibrillators along their journey across Lambton County.
The Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund will host its second annual 100K in a Day event on June 4. The walk will take place at 12 p.m. from Grand Bend to Corunna.
Fund Co-founder Patrick Armstrong said he and Dave Matheson started the campaign last year and walked from Ilderton to Wingham in 22 hours and raised $16,000.
Instead of them completing the entire walk alone again this year, 27 families have signed up to walk 3.7 kilometres in a relay-style walk.
"The whole goal for the last 12 years of the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund is a dual purpose, one is to get life-saving defibrillators out in public spaces. To date, we have donated 139, six of which directly saved lives," said Armstrong. "The other is the remembrance of fallen first responders, so law enforcement, fire, paramedic, nursing, and military members."
Two defibrillators will be donated during this year's walk. One will be donated in honour of Lloyd Henry Bressette of Kettle Point First Nations who was killed in World War II and the other will be donated in Corunna for fallen Sarnia firefighter Graham Emslie.
Armstrong said these will be the first defibrillator donations made in memory of an Indigenous person and a Sarnia firefighter.
Residents who want to walk with families on June 4 or volunteer can do so by signing up online. Further details are posted on the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund webpage.
A GoFundMe page has also been set up for the campaign.