The Courage Centre, a resource centre in Shediac, N.B., helping families in crisis, is hoping to build the province’s first trauma-informed daycare using funds raised at their Women’s Run on Sunday.

Courage Centre executive director Kristal LeBlanc said the organization is hoping to raise around $113,000 through runner registrations and sponsorships.

“It’s like a regular daycare but it’s really specialized toward children that have had a negative, adverse event,” she said of the proposed facility.

“It could be that the child’s been exposed to domestic violence or they’ve been a victim of abuse themselves, or maybe they’ve even lost a loved one to cancer.

“They require a specialized daycare with a lot of art therapy and specialized counselling.”

Roughly 850 runners participated in the run, which is part of a series of runs to benefit women’s mental health organized by Shopper’s Drug Mart.

Courage Centre Board of Directors President Lise Cormier was pleased with the turnout on Sunday.

“After COVID it was kind of slacking,” she said of attendance at the annual event, “but it’s getting back to the hype. Today I felt more of the enthusiasm.”

Cormier said while nothing has been set in stone, they are hoping to open the daycare “in the next couple of years.”

“Depending on the amount of space that we have, we should have probably around 40 to 50 (spaces),” she said.

Lou McNarin school teacher Aimee Lockie ran in the event for the first time this year and said it was a very worthwhile cause.

“We know it’s for a trauma-informed daycare and that’s really important to us as teachers,” she said.