What’s Possible With the Right Support: Thunder Bay Program
Team Unbreakable at the Children's Aid Society of The District of Thunder Bay
The Team Unbreakable program at the Children’s Aid Society of The District of Thunder Bay has been running for over 18 years. For the last 13, it has been led by Charmaine Cades, CVA — whose commitment to the program is reflected in everything she and her team have built over time.
Each year, children and youth from across the Thunder Bay community are selected to take part in a 10-week program that combines physical activity with consistency, encouragement, and mental health education. While the CAS oversees the program, most participants come from the wider community, many facing significant barriers to access. For them, this program offers something that can be hard to find: a free, structured, and supportive space to grow.
What stands out in Thunder Bay is not just participation, but the level of support built around each participant. A large team of dedicated volunteers makes it possible to offer close guidance and a real sense of safety and belonging.
Participants receive proper running shoes through a combination of grants and local partnerships, along with gait assessments to make sure every pair is the right fit. While these may seem like small details, they help remove barriers and allow participants to focus on their goals.
Throughout the program, participants also track their progress in weekly journals, where leaders provide encouragement and feedback that helps build confidence and accountability over time. But what stands out most is how deeply the program is supported beyond the weekly sessions.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
The program is deeply connected to the community around it. The Fort William Rotary has contributed approximately $8,000 annually to support participant shoes and the graduation banquet. The City of Thunder Bay supports the program through incentives such as swimming passes, and also provides a safe, comfortable space for the group to meet each week. Local businesses lend their support as well, including Mallon’s Corporate Impressions, who donates every participant’s run shirt.
Volunteers, including photographers and guest speakers, help create an experience that extends well beyond the weekly sessions. Their involvement reinforces a message that participants are worth investing in, and that the wider community is cheering them on.
That support becomes most visible at the end of the season, when the program shifts from weekly sessions into a moment of shared celebration.
THE CELEBRATION
At the end of each season, participants complete a goal run together. In Thunder Bay, that finish line represents 10 weeks of effort, growth, and perseverance.
The program is supported by a local run club, the Metre Eaters, that covers registration fees so every participant can take part in the June Classic 5K. For many youth, it is an opportunity to run alongside hundreds of other community members and celebrate something they have worked hard to achieve.
The season concludes with a graduation-style celebration that reflects the care behind the program. Participants gather with coaches, volunteers, and community partners to share a meal, enjoy a personalized cake, receive certificates and medals, and recognize everything they achieved together. It also creates an opportunity for youth to thank the coaches and mentors who showed up for them week after week, reinforcing the relationships built throughout the program.
For many, this is not just the end of a program. It is a milestone.
2026 SEASON
This year, the Thunder Bay CAS program had one of its strongest seasons yet. 22 volunteer coaches supported 42 participants, exceeding the program's original target and demonstrating the continued community support behind the initiative.
The season concluded at the June Classic 5K, where participants joined nearly 200 runners from across the region. Several Team Unbreakable participants recorded standout performances, with two youth finishing first and second overall.
But as impressive as those results were, they represent only one part of the story. Every participant who crossed the finish line had spent weeks building confidence, developing healthy habits, and working toward a personal goal.
The graduation celebration that followed brought together participants, coaches, volunteers, and community partners to recognize those achievements and reflect on another successful season.
Sandra Sutherland Byers is a true Team Unbreakable Thunder Bay treasure. For six years, she has shown up with heart—tracking attendance, organizing relay teams, donating race-day freezies, and capturing special moments behind the camera as our volunteer photographer. As the parent of a program graduate, Sandra knows the power of this work and gives her time generously to help children and youth feel supported, connected, and “unbreakable”.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Programs like the one in Thunder Bay do not happen by accident. They are built through years of commitment from leaders, volunteers, community partners, and supporters who believe young people deserve opportunities to succeed.
"This program means so much because it gives children and youth a place where they can feel supported, included, and encouraged—without cost ever being a barrier. From shoes and breathable shirts to nutritious snacks, every essential is provided so children and youth can simply show up, take part, and grow. With the generosity of our community through in-kind support and donations, and the dedication of our caring volunteer coaches who show up twice each week to encourage and run alongside them, children are building confidence, connection, and skills that support their mental health in a truly meaningful way."
— Charmaine Cades, CVA
What has been built in Thunder Bay demonstrates what can happen when barriers are removed, communities come together, and young people are given the support they need to thrive.
More than 18 years after it began, the program continues to create opportunities for youth to build confidence, develop resilience, and discover what they are capable of achieving.