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Two N.B. men walk 400 km in 8 days for Make-A-Wish kids

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MONCTON -

Two men from New Brunswick have gone the distance to make a child's wish come true.

Together, Adam Chamberlain of Fredericton and Eric Scouten of Saint John, embarked on their second annual River Valley Wish Walk last week.

The two managed to meet their goal of walking 400 km in eight days to help raise money for Make-A-Wish Canada.

"I was really glad to have the help that I do to be able to do stuff like that for other people. I'm just really thankful for the opportunity," said Scouten.

The pair began their journey from Florenceville to Saint John in just over a week.

"Me and Eric wanted to challenge ourselves into something that may have seemed impossible at the time and while we're doing that we are also able to raise a few dollars for some much deserving New Brunswick children," said Chamberlain.

The generous donations they received along the way helped push them to the finish line, according to Chamberlain.

"One particular family that wished to remain anonymous gave us $1,000 so that was a very meaningful moment for me anyway. It definitely was encouraging after our first day, the second day when you start to fall apart and you think about these people."

With determination and a little help from volunteers along the way, the two believe it was worth it if it means helping grant wishes for a child with critical illnesses.

Kristin McCurdy, the provincial director with Make-A-Wish Canada says they had raised just over $36,000 as of Thursday.

"It's absolutely incredible," said McCurdy. "I know a lot of people had been struggling during the pandemic so to see numbers like that coming in, we're just so appreciative of all their hard work."

According to McCurdy, there are currently 71 children in the province on the list to get a wish.

"Now more than ever the donations are so important because when the world gets back to normal we want to make sure that no child has to wait for their already delayed wish."

With the donations raised from their recent walk, at least three children will be granted a wish.  Though Scouten and Chamberlain were able to pass their first goal of $10,000, they are still hoping to reach $50,000 which will go towards helping the non-profit.

With his feet still hurting, Scouten said he loved the experience.

"I'd gladly do it again. As a matter of a fact… we're planning another event right now, another 24-hour 'snowshoe-a-thon' this winter for a different cause."

The website will continue to accept donations until the end of the month.

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