Ready. Set. Solve! Family Day Race for SickKids takes over the PATH

Calling all teams to register for a day of mind-boggling fun!

TORONTO , Jan. 7 /CNW/ - PATH, Toronto's Downtown Walkway, will come alive with teams of families and friends on February 15 for the inaugural Family Day Race for SickKids. Teams will maneuver their way through sections of the 27-kilometre underground walkway during a two-hour race to solve puzzles and brain-teasers to raise money in support of SickKids Foundation.

The Race is made up of a variety of puzzles - some will be picture puzzles, some will involve visiting various locations throughout the PATH to solve a brainteaser and others will require getting clues from mysterious passersby. Each puzzle has a points value based on level of difficulty. It's up to the team to determine the order of puzzles they'll work on in order to accumulate the most points in the allotted time. Together, the solved puzzles will fill in the blanks of a mysterious story related to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).

The Family Day Race for SickKids is the first signature event of its kind for SickKids Foundation. The event will begin and end at The Design Exchange at 234 Bay Street with registration beginning at 9 a.m. and the Race taking place from 10 a.m. to noon with a post-event celebration to follow. The top three teams will participate in a face-off competition to determine the overall champion and prizes will be awarded on-site.

"All of us at SickKids Foundation are looking forward to our first-ever Family Day Race for SickKids for some good family fun and to raise much-needed funds," says Christy Sampson , Fundraising Events Manager, SickKids Foundation. "We're calling on the community to rally together and sign up their teams now so they can begin their fundraising in time for the event. Teams can be comprised of any combination of family members, friends, work colleagues, classmates or even sports teammates; anyone you'll have fun with."

Each team of 4-6 participants is asked to fundraise in advance of the event. The minimum age for participants is seven years old and each team must have at least one adult over 18. Money raised from Family Day Race for SickKids goes to the highest priority needs of SickKids Foundation. Teams are encouraged to challenge themselves and raise as much money as they can. Current funding priorities include purchasing life-saving equipment, providing educational opportunities for staff to further their knowledge and conducting a variety of research projects to help advance children's health.

Clues, puzzles and brain-teasers were developed with the help of SickKids patient ambassadors. This group is comprised of current and past patients who share their stories throughout the year to help raise awareness and contribute to the various fundraising initiatives of SickKids Foundation. Patient ambassadors brainstormed together to devise creative clues for the Race based on their SickKids experiences to add to the integrity of the Race's theme and purpose.

"I've spent so much time at SickKids, it's like a second home for my family and me," says Kaitlyn O'Brien, 13, SickKids Patient Ambassador. "I love doing things to help raise money for SickKids and I think it's neat that there's a new event for Family Day. People at SickKids are so friendly and caring they're like a part of my extended family."

Adding to the excitement of the first annual Family Day Race, SickKids Foundation is proud to acknowledge the support of its founding media partners: Boom 97.3 and The Toronto Star. In addition, The Face Off is generously sponsored by Burger King Canada .

To register your team, become a corporate sponsor or for further details on the first-ever Family Day Race for SickKids, visit www.familydayrace.com. For more information on SickKids Foundation go to www.sickkidsfoundation.com.

About SickKids Foundation

Established in 1972, SickKids Foundation is the fundraising organization for The Hospital for Sick Children - Canada's most research-intensive hospital and the largest centre dedicated to improving children's health in the country.

The Foundation's fundraising is driven by the belief that improving the health and wellbeing of children is one of the most powerful ways to improve society.

Philanthropy is a critical source of funding for The Hospital for Sick Children. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009 , SickKids Foundation made an investment of $64.4 million in children's health research, education and care. A direct result of community support, this is the largest investment in paediatric health care and one of the largest contributions to a hospital anywhere in Canada .

The shared vision of SickKids Foundation and The Hospital for Sick Children is "Healthier Children. A Better World."(TM)

For further information: Sandra Chiovitti, Public Affairs, SickKids Foundation, o: [phone], c: [phone], e: [email protected]