If you see a lone figure walking through Burnaby over the next couple of days despite the expected rain and snow flurries, it may just be Howie English - and the weather isn't going to stop him.
English is planning to do a 167-kilometre, 31-hour walk - representing the distance from his home in Pitt Meadows to Whistler - starting March 20 and going overnight through to the end of day on March 21.
Along the way, he's hoping to raise some funds for organizations close to his heart: the Down Syndrome Research Foundation, in Burnaby, and the Lower Mainland Down Syndrome Society.
English's four-year-old daughter Rebecca has Down syndrome.
"I remember the night my youngest daughter Rebecca was born, when the doctors told us she had Down syndrome," he said in a press release from the foundation. "My wife and I were devastated by the news. We immediately envisioned a life of segregation, limitations and struggle for our daughter."
They also learned that their daughter had a heart condition related to the Down syndrome that could be fatal by her teen years.
"It was a complicated and emotional time, but we came together as parents and vowed to make every day Rebecca was with us special and meaningful for her. ... Thankfully, Rebecca is still with us today, and she has brought so much joy and love to our family over the years."
The family got support from organizations like the foundation and the society, connecting with other families and getting access to valuable programs to help with literacy, social interaction and speech development.
"These organizations are breaking down the barriers that children like Rebecca face and providing opportunities for a safe, rewarding and independent life."
His goal is to raise $100 for every kilometer walked.
Last year, he walked from Pitt Meadows to Horseshoe Bay. This year, he's doubling that distance by going round-trip to Horseshoe Bay and back, to represent the full distance from his home to Whistler.
He's calling it the Down Syndrome Sky Walk.
The route will take him from Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge, along the Barnet Highway, along East Hastings, through Vancouver and West Vancouver to the Horseshoe Bay turn-around area, and then back.
He's expected to be at the intersection of East Hastings and Sperling - just a few blocks from the Down Syndrome Research Foundation's Burnaby office - at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 21. Staff from the foundation and family and friends will be gathering there to cheer him on for his final stretch back to Pitt Meadows.
To make a donation to the effort, visit www.dsrf.org.
A number of organizations are supporting him in the walk, including Kaplan's Deli, Drive Design, Budget Printing, Jenny Arnold Movement, Popeye's Nutritional Supplements, Jungle Jac's Play Centre, Universal Flagging and New Balance.
For more about Down syndrome, see the Down Syndrome Research Foundation's website at www.dsrf.org or the Lower Mainland Down Syndrome Society at www.lmdss.com.
