THESE SHOES are made for walking…although Lisa Sparling is sure to wear sturdier footwear on the 63.5 km Great Walk from Gold River to Tahsis in June. Sparling is walking in memory of her husband and to raise money for the Hospice Society, which helped her after her husband's sudden death.

A young widow who has struggled to rebuild her life after the untimely death of her husband will take on the challenges of a lifetime this June - the Great Walk from Gold River to Tahsis.
Lisa Sparling, 23, will be doing the 63.5 kilometre trek to raise money for the Hospice Society, a group of volunteers who rallied around her when she lost her husband. She'll be walking in memory of her husband Kelly, but also in memory of other people's loved ones.
"For people who don't get an opportunity to participate and still want to honour the memory of a loved one, I'll walk in memory of their loved one and put their name on my shirt," Sparling said.
Sparling, the mother of three children five and under, was widowed two years ago when her 23- year-old suddenly became ill and died. Sparling found herself on her own, struggling to raise her children and deal with her enormous sense of loss. That's when the Hospice Society came in.
"I was so surprised at how many people were going through similar situations and that I did not have to feel alone in my grief," Sparling said.

The Hospice Society helped her through some of her darkest hours, so, after she began to heal, Sparling decided to volunteer there. She answers phones and also works one on one with grief-stricken people. And, she and another volunteer are soon going to be facilitating a support group.
"I decided to get involved because when I called the Hospice Society, I wanted to talk to somebody who had been widowed young, but there was no one like that there at the time," Sparling said. "That's why I decided to volunteer."
When she takes part in the upcoming trek, Sparling won't be alone. She anticipates about 12 other Hospice Society members will be walking alongside her. To get ready, Sparling is walking about eight kilometres per day, and is going to be upping that in the upcoming weeks until the Great Walk. To pledge your support for the society, call them at 286-1121 or contact Sparling directly at 286-1414. There are already more than 625 participants now signed up for the 23rd Annual Great Walk.
Anyone who would like information about the Great Walk should visit the website at www.greatwalk.com or phone/fax Betty Ganyo at 250-934-6570.