Rob Maar was the life of the office.
He spearheaded fundraising initiatives with his colleagues at Re/Max Sabre Realty Group in Port Coquitlam. He captained the office team at the annual 24-Hour Relay for the Kids.
And while a motorcycle accident in July 2015 took his life, his spirit lives on.
His partner in business, and in life, Sandra Parsons, is seeing to that.
On Saturday, Parsons is hosting the second annual 24-Minute Run around Lafarge Lake in Coquitlam. The event is a fundraiser for the Zajac Ranch for Children that gives kids and young adults with chronic or life-threatening conditions a respite from their health challenges at a summer camp in Mission.
Parsons said the event, and the cause, would have warmed Maar’s heart because he loved the 24-Hour Relay, which raised money to help send kids to Easter Seals camps but ended a few years ago.
“They’re doing the same thing, helping disabled children,” said Parsons, who conceived the idea of a condensed version of Maar’s beloved relay while she was working out at the gym. “This is the type of cause he would have loved.”
Last year’s inaugural 24-Minute Run raised $5,800, a sizeable chunk of the $27,000 the Re/Max Sabre group accumulated through various charitable functions like pub nights, movie matinees and a skating party.
Parsons said this year’s event is already shaping up to be bigger. A DJ will spin tunes, a physiotherapist will offer massages by donation, there will be bingo and trivia games, a Jenga challenge as well as a hot dog sale.
Parsons said it’s truly a grassroots effort by family, friends and colleagues whose lives were touched by Maar’s enthusiasm and zest for helping.
Said Parsons: “There wasn’t a thing he couldn’t do."
• The 24-Minute Run goes from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the start on the lawn near the Evergreen Cultural Centre. For more information, go to www.zajacranch.com/24minuterun.
