Hundreds step up at Bayfront Park to support men’s recovery programs

Hundreds gathered at Bayfront Park Saturday morning to help raise funds for Wayside House in Hamilton.

The event is put on to support programs for men to recover and heal from substance addiction.

Now in its seventh year, the annual Step Up for Wayside hopes to make a difference in the lives of many fathers, brothers, sons, neighbours and friends.

Johnny Lang spends most of his days supporting substance-dependent men on their journey to recovery at Wayside House in Hamilton — a place that empowers them to lead purposeful lives of sobriety through group education, personalized treatment and forever aftercare.

If there’s anyone who knows what these men are going through, it’s Lang.

“I actually started as a client. They called during the pandemic and said they needed help and I was onboard ever since,” said Lang.

Lang was at Bayfront Park early Saturday joining hundreds of others to step up for Wayside.

“You don’t have to go far to see the drugs are really hurting our community and we need all the help we can get,” said Lang.

WATCH MORE: Volunteers carve 350 jack-o-lanterns to decorate RBG’s Great Pumpkin Trail

“This is an event that we bring our community partners, our alumni, our clients, their families together to recognize recovery, one – but also to raise funds to help support the programs that we have at Wayside,” said Regan Anderson, the CEO of Wayside House of Hamilton.

With 26 beds in total, Wayside House is currently full — a long waitlist of people still trying to get into the program.

The fundraiser hopes to double the capacity to over 50 beds through a recently purchased facility.

“This program at the new site will be more integrated with community partners to address all the fulls of the journeys of health to assure that our guys are having a better chance of maintaining their long term goals,” said Anderson.

For the new project, they’re hoping to raise $15 million and are hoping the health ministry and the province can come in with operational support.

“This is a long process but we’ve got strong support, amazing support from our community partners,” said Anderson.

Among the supporters in attendance is CHCH News’ Roger Collins who’s traded his journalist mic to help emcee the day’s event.

“Regan asked me earlier this year if I’d wanna come down to the house and learn more about what they do and host this event. And after spending some time with the guys down at the house at Wayside, it’s a cause I can actually get behind,” said Collins.

“I love their messaging. They support sobriety and recovery for men,” said Erica Lamont, supporter and personal injury lawyer.

For 58 years, Wayside House Hamilton has been providing programs and advice for those recovering from substance abuse. Anderson says Saturday’s fundraiser hopes to continue the message that change is possible.

“Change is possible knowing that so many struggle, so many lives have become unmanageable because of substance use, and they’re looking for change and we need to be there for them,” said Anderson.

Step Up for Wayside 2025 has raised close to $60,000 Saturday.

WATCH MORE: Superheroes spotted at McMaster Children’s Hospital sparking joy in sick kids