The 2025 Step Out For Nursing month is coming soon!
Join us in June!
To carry on its work of providing financial support to nurses and nursing students, RNFOO needs to raise funds. We are pleased with the support raised through the 2024 Step Out for Nursing campaign, and are hoping for even more participation this year.
We are inviting you to use your heels or wheels to walk, jog or wheel 8 kilometers during the month of June to raise funds for RNFOO. We chose 8 kilometers because that is the average distance a nurse walks on their day shift. We invite you to be their sole mates!
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO PARTICIPATE
Set up a Local Event on a Trail Near You
Whether you plan to walk, ride or run, joining with others is a great way to encourage more people to support the effort and to make Stepping Out more fun.
If you are forming a local group, we encourage you to set a specific starting location, date and time. Identify your trail, and invite your colleagues, friends, family, and networks to join you in support of Ontario nurses.
A rain date is always a good plan!
You will need to let people know where to park if they are driving to the start-off point. Think about finding washroom facilities, a way to fill up water bottles, and maps of the trail. It would be great to have someone to check people in as they arrive so you know who is participating.
Individuals in your group can set up their own page with a fundraising goal or one site can be set up that all participants can share with their own networks. Either way, everyone can still Step Out together. If you have a large enough group, contact the RNFOO office for resources that might help you find local support for donating water or snacks for your group.
RNFOO will be happy to promote your effort through our social media channels. Send your details to the office and we’ll do all that we can to encourage others to join you!
Walk a Favourite Trail or Find a New One
Whether you are walking alone, with a friend, or organizing your own group, choose the route you want to take and set up a page with your fundraising goal (see linked box below).
We suggest walking trails to avoid any issues with traffic. The Destination Ontario and Parks Canada sites have suggestions for some of the best trails in our province.
An internet search for “Walking trails near me” will provide links to municipally maintained trails and to sites for hiking clubs, conservation groups and other organizations who promote walking. Many of these sites have trails of different lengths identified, giving you a good start on identifying where to look for an 8 km route.
Click on JOIN when you reach the page.
For Nurses:
Walk a Shift
The basis for the length of this fund raiser is the average distance a nurse walks on their day shift – 8 kilometers.
If you are a nurse and don’t have time outside of your working life to participate in the Step Out For Nursing, you can always have friends, family and colleagues sponsor your shift.
To do this, you would simply declare a day shift and set up a page on our fundraising platform with your financial goal.
As with other options, you can always form a group of nurses walking your shifts to help raise funds.
Click on JOIN when you reach the page.
1. Set Your Date
We have designated the entire month of June as Step Out for Nursing. Choose a date within the month of June 2025. If you are participating with a group, it would be a good idea to have a rain date set up in advance.
2. Set Your Location
Whether you are participating alone or with others, choose your location. We recommend keeping to trails to avoid any need for permits etc.
3. Identify Who Is Participating
Are you participating by yourself, taking a friend or forming a group? You can choose how to accomplish the 8 kms – walk, jog, bike, wheelchair, stroller, roller blades etc. Also, you don’t have to do it all in one day if you are not able. You can break it down into more manageable distances as long as you are finished by the end of June and are transparent with your supporters.
4. Set Your Goal
Each individual or group can set their own fund raising goal. If you are going it alone, you might want to set a modest goal. If you are forming a group, chat with your sole mates and establish a shared goal.
5. Create Your Page
We are using CauseVox to manage this event. You can use the templated page or design your own. Each individual or team will create a page where their goal will be displayed, post messages as to why they are supporting RNFOO etc. If you are part of a group you can choose to have your own page with an individual fund raising goal and messages to your supporters, or direct your supporters to the group page. Each page has a unique URL. Be sure to send your URL to your supporters.
6. Promote
Once you have created your page on CauseVox, you can promote your participation to your friends, family and colleagues. You can contact them individually or use your social media for broader reach. Engage with RNFOO’s social media for even greater reach.
Each CauseVox individual page has a unique URL. Be sure to share your own page’s URL with your supporters.
7. Post Updates
The CauseVox pages allow for pictures and updates. An active page will attract more attention. The best size for the HERO image on your page is 1920 x 1075 pixels.
8. Take Pictures
Add pictures to your CauseVox page. They can be pictures of sole mates, pictures of the trail etc.
9. Not Joining the Trail?
If you are not able to step out, or are more of an armchair athlete, you can always donate to support RNFOO.
MAKE A GENERAL DONATION
Want to support a team in your area or a specific person? Visit the CauseVox site and look at the bottom of the page for the various teams and participants.
