This past Friday saw a man from Shawinigan, Quebec walking through Portage la Prairie.

Benoit Lebel's been walking and bussing across Canada since March 12th, when he left St. John's, Newfoundland, and expects to be in Vancouver by November 29th. He's raising money for the Children's Wish Foundation.

Lebel explains he's doing this for a couple of reasons.

"It's the backpacking trip I never did when I was 20 years old. I always wanted to travel more than six months, so the timing was perfect for me. I thought if I don't do it now, maybe I'll never do it. At the same time, I wanted to have a purpose to give back, because I feel I'm lucky to be able do this, I'm healthy. And so that's when I approached the Children's Wish Foundation."

Lebel was met by Portage la Prairie's Children's Wish Foundation volunteer Helen Hoggarth.

"We're very appreciative of the work Benoit is doing. We thank him for stopping in Portage. We had a good visit with quite a few of our members this morning, and we wish him all the best."

Lebel's raised about $7700 already, and his goal is $10,000.