Organize a run for your community of faith, run/walk on your own or with a friend, or donate or sponsor a group or person.
On August 10 at 6:30 am MT, walkers, rollers, and runners can hit the streets in the triennial Alvin Dixon Memorial Walk/Run to raise money to support the Alvin Dixon Memorial Bursary Fund, which was established to support Indigenous students who want to enter or continue post-secondary education or study at religious and spiritual centres. The walk/run occurs every three years when the General Council meets.
Join United Church people across the country to run, walk, or roll as far as you want in your community, or organize a run for your community of faith or another group. You can use your favourite workout tracking app to share your efforts. Or you can simply donate or sponsor a group or person.
Easy steps to organize your event
- Register online.
- Choose a route.
- Promote your event.
- Invite your friends, family, and community to donate or participate.
- Have fun!
The Alvin Dixon Memorial Bursary
The Alvin Dixon Memorial Bursary was established in memory and honour of Alvin’s life and his dedication to the United Church of Canada and to education. The bursary is an annual award available to Indigenous students enrolled in full-time post-secondary studies; it supports Indigenous students seeking to enter or continue post-secondary education or study at religious and spiritual centres.
About Alvin Dixon
Alvin William Dixon, a respected Heiltsuk First Nation Elder, was born on June 10, 1937. At age 10, Alvin was taken from his family to the Alberni Indian Residential School on Vancouver Island. After surviving years of abuse, he graduated, and then enrolled at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver as one of six First Nations students at the school.
Alvin died of cancer in Vancouver on July 20, 2014. Throughout his life, Alvin quietly worked behind the scenes to improve the lives of First Nations people in many areas, including those involved in the First Nations fishery and First Nations youth. Alvin worked to raise awareness with Canadians about the experiences of Indigenous children in residential schools in his role with the British Columbia Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
He was a strong activist and held roles with the Native Brotherhood of British Columbia and especially with the United Church, beginning as a member of British Columbia Conference staff and supporting the British Columbia Native Ministries Council. He was the first Indigenous Chair (2005–2014) of the Residential Schools Steering Committee (renamed in 2011 as the Committee of Indigenous Justice and Residential Schools).
At the time of his death, he was serving as the British Columbia Conference lay representative to the Executive of the General Council (GCE). He served on the Moderator's Advisory Committee and the Theology and Inter-Church Inter-Faith (TICIF) Committee. He was one of the founders of the Native Ministries Consortium and the Native Ministries program at the Vancouver School of Theology.