Vancouver Foundation

A Donor Advised Fund at Vancouver Foundation is an excellent way to provide long-term support for your favourite charities. For more information, call Kristin in Donor Services at 604.629.5186 or visit vancouverfoundation.ca/give. Shanghai Knights, as well as in Steven Spielberg's Taken. Later he played the character of Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III and then many roles as a voiceover artist. roughout his career in television and film he retained a deep passion for endurance sports, completing eight Ironman triathlons. In 2006, he met Tait, a motivational speaker and business coach who had also grown up in Tsawwassen. e two shared a passion for running – a bond that would be key in the years to come. Flying to Detroit in 2006 to attend a fan expo, Hill was struck by the immensity of the landscape below him. He began thinking about running across North America. Eight months after connecting, he and Tait decided that they would do it. "We definitely set our goals high," says Hill. "We wanted to inspire the whole continent." e pair founded Run for One Planet (R41P) and set to work organizing the run. Hill had a deep interest in environmentalism and in working with youth, so the pair settled on those two themes for their journey. Nine months of planning followed, and they retrofitted an old RV with a worm composter and solar panels. en, with the support of family and friends, they hit the road. On May 4, 2008 they set off east along the Trans-Canada Highway. Accompanied by a small crew, they ran together each day, clocking at least a full marathon. ere were two early goals: to inspire school children to be more proactive environmental citizens, and to show them that through small steps, they could achieve a larger goal. It would be a trying 369 days. ey followed a route through the Rockies, across the prairies and into northern Ontario before crossing through to the Maritimes and Newfoundland. en they traced their way down the east coast of the U.S. and across to California, before turning northward for their final stretch back to Vancouver. ey would run an estimated 22 million steps and speak to 30,000 kids in more than 240 schools across the continent. eir travels offered them a perspective of two countries in a time of great tumult: the financial crisis of 2008. "Little did we know that we were entering the worst economy since the Great Depression," says Hill, describing the high number of property foreclosures in the neighbourhoods they passed through. ey could see the effects in the schools they visited, and they resolved to remain positive. "We focused on what we could control," says Hill. "We could keep running a marathon every day, and we could keep reaching out to people." ere were also more immediate problems. "We faced challenges every step of the way," says Hill. "If we had an encounter with a wild animal, our attitude was to just take the next step and find a way. If the RV broke down, we just had to take the next step and find a way." ey saw their journey as a metaphor for life. e tour eventually raised $120,000 for the Run for One Planet Legacy Fund that they created at Vancouver Foundation, with a long-term goal to raise $1 million. Today the fund provides grants to small grassroots initiatives, like schoolyard gardens, local fruit orchards, solar projects and bike programs for children – endeavours that build on their theme of small steps. eir run continues to echo in their lives. Tait, who now lives in Toronto and welcomed her first child in August 2017, continues her involvement in the assessment of grant applicants. Hill still lives in B.C. and serves as spokesperson for the Run for One Planet Legacy, speaking to companies and organizations as well as at youth leadership conferences and schools. "It's all about empowering youth to believe in their dream," he says. "To believe it's achievable." Photos: Courtesy Matt Hill & Stephanie Tait; Sgt Johanie Maheu, Rideau Hall, OSGG 2 0 1 7 I V a n c o u v e r F o u n d a t i o n l p a g e 1 3 (Opposite) the number of shoes it takes to run 369 marathons; Stephanie and Matt in the RV; (this page) victory after 11,000 miles; receiving the Governor General's Award for their achievement

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