This week Cougars Head Coach Wes Wolfe announced that he will be running a marathon on August 22nd in support of Children First Canada. Children First is a national charitable organization that serves and represents youth in Canada, they have called a crisis and in response launched their Code Pink campaign.

The Code Pink campaign, a term used for pediatric emergencies, is designed to support and address the crisis-affected Canadian youth, as a result of the pandemic and associated school closures, the lack of access to sports and recreational programs, and social isolation, which has had serious effects on the health and well-being of kids. 

Over the past year, youth suicide attempt admissions have more than doubled, substance-use disorders have tripled, and child abuse rates have risen sharply, with a 100% increase in cases of infants presenting with fractures and head trauma since September of 2020. In addition, 70% of children aged 6 to 18 report that the pandemic has harmed their mental health, and the Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) reports a 25% increase for ER visits related to mental health during the pandemic. 

Learn more about Children First and Code Pink here

Donate to support Canadian Children First here