What a beautiful night. Thank you so much for being part of it.

From sunset Saturday until Sunday’s breath-taking sunrise, about 160 of us ran or walked to show solidarity for Ashleigh and Jordan and their kids. Some walked with their families. Others completed incredible feats of endurance, running full marathon distances or more.

In Steinbach, we watched groups of runners come and go from our Tim Hortons post all night, and it was lovely to see the candle display glowing brightly in the Duecks’ front yard (and I know candles were lit in other locations as well).

At sunrise about 50 of us (plus a few pups) did the final leg of the relay together, then filled Coffee Culture with warm smiles and conversation.

On this night, somehow the darkness didn’t feel so dark.

We also saw the generosity of this community on display. Between online and cash donations we raised about $7400 for the Duecks. This is more than we could have hoped. Thank you for your generosity. (If you haven’t had a chance to donate, the GoFundMe will be up for a few more days.)

Thanks to Coffee Culture, Tim Hortons on Brandt St, Stonehouse Covenant Church, Source for Sports, and many volunteers who helped make this night happen.

Wishing all of you a warm Christmas season. Thank you for doing your part to fill the darkness with warm light.