Central Albertans brightened the sky with lanterns to celebrate the work of registered nurses.
The ARNET (Alberta Registered Nurses Educational Trust) LanteRN Walk brought dozens of people through Kiwanis Park and Bower Ponds to raise money for scholarships for registered nurses Friday night.
“Nurses typically have little to no access to scholarship funds or getting student loans in order to … do continued competency skills, workshops and grad studies,” said Shireen Bell, one of the event’s co-chairs.
ARNET, a registered charity since 1984, provides educational supports to members of the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA).
“It is a super important organization because 100 per cent of the proceeds go straight into scholarships RNs can access,” said Bell, who has been a registered nurse for about 30 years.
Bell said many people in her line of work struggle to continue their education.
“Nurses tend to have families and have to take care of them, so we’re always looking for opportunities to go on and develop our careers.
“The more access we have to workshops and specialty skills, the more ability we have to provide better care,” she said.
In the past the event has been a run, but it was switched to a walk this year.
“We decided to slow down the pace,” she said. “This way we get to walk and talk about nurses and value the work we do as a collective.”
Bell said on an average shift nurses walk about six kilometres. She’s glad to have a charity supporting nurses in Alberta, she added.
“Having this event in Red Deer, and us being able to show off the awesome community spirit here, is actually very special for us,” she said. “We want to show our spirit and show our support to our fellow RNs.”
Bell co-chaired the event alongside Amy Dyck and Maggie Convey, who are also RNs.
The LateRN Walk wrapped up with a barbecue and silent auction at the Red Deer Golf and Country Club.
For more information visit www.arnet.ca.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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