From a young age, Karen Hammond was taught about the values of helping others.
After a tragedy occurred in her life, that drive grew even stronger.
Many will know Hammond from the Doerksen Country Store, a store her family owned for many years before selling it – but she remains on as the manager.
Over the years she has helped out with various fundraisers and local events.
He parents were very active in the community and that is a lesson that stuck with her, trying to help out where she could.
But her focus shifted to mental health awareness and fundraising following the tragic passing of her husband.
One of the biggest fundraisers she currently runs is called the Walk With Me Project.
Hammond is good friends with the owner of Story Photography, and together they came up with this idea to raise money for groups like CMHA and CAMH.
People can sign up to have professional photos of their dogs taken, with the fees for those photos going to local mental health groups.
Hammond explains a bit about why the idea of highlighting dogs was important.
She also wants to help prevent the stigma around mental health and have people be open and talk about their feelings.
You can see more about the Walk With Me project here.
Hammond’s full interview can be found below.
Written by Matt LeBlanc