Celebrating community, fun, and purpose: Move for Youth 2026
The energy is still buzzing, the steps have been counted, and we are absolutely thrilled to share the incredible results of this year’s Move for Youth challenge!
Because of your relentless energy, immense generosity, and commitment to local youth, we didn’t just move—we made a powerful collective impact across our region. Together, we raised funds and awareness to ensure children and youth across East Ontario and the Outaouais access the critical resources they need to succeed.
Local youth are just as vulnerable now as they have been over the past five years. Opioid use among Ottawa youth in Grades 7-12 doubled between 2021 and 2023. Project step is a community-wide initiative from United Way East Ontario to ensure young people and their families have access to support, treatment, education, and prevention of harms related to substance and technology use. Through project step, 81% of youth involved in community-based counselling services across Ottawa reduced their substance use.
The Back to School program from Centraide Outaouais provides new school supplies to students from low-income families. Families can shop for their children’s school supplies at 25% of the cost price, making it easier to buy items that match children’s tastes and needs. These new materials also help build the confidence of kids who can fit equally into the school environment despite economic disadvantage. Since its inception, the program has helped over 57,000 children start the school year on the right foot.
The Power of Every Step: 2026 Results
Whether you walked your neighbourhood, ran trails, danced in your living room, or cheered from the sidelines, every effort added up to something monumental. Here’s what our community achieved together in support of United Way East Ontario and Centraide Outaouais:
- $138,010 raised: Critical funds supporting youth programs, from local homework clubs and after-school programs to life-changing mental health services.
- 30.9 million steps: A powerful community footprint built step by step.
- 19,136 kilometres: An incredible distance covered across our communities.
- 5,148 activity hours: More than 5,000 hours dedicated to moving with purpose.
Celebrating our community champions
The challenge may be over, but the lasting impact for local youth is just beginning. Your fundraised dollars are already being at work in our communities, tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing the next generation.
We also want to give a massive shout-out to the incredible trail blazers who pushed themselves to the top of our leaderboard this year.
A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors
Move for Youth would not have been possible without the deep generosity and foundational support of our corporate partners, who contributed $124,000 to help us cross the finish line.
Our deepest gratitude goes out to our Title Partner, National Bank, alongside our incredible Platinum Sponsors, Coventry Connections, Doyle Salewski Inc., KRB Lawyers, Metro Plus Marché Kelly, 1-800-Radiator, and The Bélisle Family for their unwavering support. We’d also like to thank our corporate supporters and partners who consistently went the extra step to support youth across our region.
