In the News

Big turnout for first run in Heather Saaltink's memory
Standard Freeholder
By Michael Peeling
November 30, 2009

The lessons to be learned from a tragic collision that killed a young woman almost a year ago brought out more than 500 runners and walkers to this small town west of Cornwall on Saturday.

Heather Saaltink was 22 when, shortly before Christmas 2008, the car she was driving with her father Rik and sister Emma as passengers collided with a truck driven by a man alleged to be drunk.

To honour Heather's passing, her fellow athletes wanted to pay tribute to her effect on the community with an event that raises money for the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Ottawa chapter.

That's where the Heather Saaltink Memorial Run came in.

Approximately 625 people registered to participate in the run organized by the Cornwall Multisport Club, of which the entire Saaltink family are members, to raise an estimated $24,000.

MADD Ottawa president Tom Wainwright said the amount is double what a typical run in Ottawa would raise, including entrance fees, which were not collected at the Long Sault event.

Wainwright said some of the money raised by the Heather Saaltink Memorial Run will pay for schools in the area to see multimedia presentations about drinking and driving during the next school year. Those presentations will be dedicated to the memory of Heather.

"The day was really more a community event than a run," Wainwright said. "The outpouring of support was just phenomenal."

Heather was an avid runner, a lover of the outdoors and played basketball and hockey.

Before the runs began, Rik said he felt "overwhelmed" by the support shown for the run and the family.