For the Warriors

For the WarriorsFor the WarriorsFor the Warriors

For the Warriors

For the WarriorsFor the WarriorsFor the Warriors

Running for truth, accountability, & change.

Running for truth, accountability, & change.Running for truth, accountability, & change.Running for truth, accountability, & change.

Running for truth, accountability, & change.

Running for truth, accountability, & change.Running for truth, accountability, & change.Running for truth, accountability, & change.

We’re running the Toronto Marathon For the Warriors

For the Warriors is a team formed through shared survival, trust, and a commitment to change. On Sunday, May 3rd, we'll be running for survivors whose voices deserve to be heard, and to raise funds for organizations supporting them.

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How you Can Help

Donate to organizations doing critical work in the areas where the gaps are greatest right now—supporting survivors, providing care, and pushing for meaningful change.


We have a combined goal of raising $15K before the run. 

End Violence Everywhere

End Violence Everywhere

End Violence Everywhere

EVE provides essential frontline support, prevention, and advocacy services to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, helping individuals heal while working toward systemic change.

Donate

The Centre

End Violence Everywhere

End Violence Everywhere

The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking is a national charity working to end all forms of human trafficking in Canada through collective action, system-level responses, public awareness, and operation of the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline.

Donate

Our Story

For the Warriors is more than a team name. It’s why we’re running.

We (Melissa Heaton & Sarah Jezek) met through a shared experience neither of us chose, both having survived sexual violence connected to the same individual, years apart.


Our paths crossed publicly last November, and a bond formed through trust, resilience, and a shared refusal to stay silent.


Like many survivors, our experiences revealed how slow and painful accountability can be. The justice system asks survivors to endure again and again, often without resolution. Still, we chose not to disappear.


This run is about forward motion.


Despite years of legal battles, personal loss, and the weight that comes with telling the truth publicly, we choose to rise not backdown. 


We’re running the Toronto Marathon to honour survivors whose voices deserve to be heard and to raise funds for organizations supporting them.


This race is part of a larger commitment we’ve made in 2026: to push for change, speak up where it matters, and use our voices and visibility to demand better.


For the Warriors is for those still fighting.
For those still healing.
And for everyone who keeps going anyway.


Thank you for standing with us.

Thank you for standing with us.

Donate

About Us

Melissa Heaton

Melissa Heaton

Melissa Heaton

Melissa Heaton came forward at the young age of18 helping expose harm and opening the door for others to speak. A former model who now works with the elderly, she brings empathy, strength, and leadership to her advocacy. She continues to use her voice to push for accountability and meaningful change.

Sarah Jezek

Melissa Heaton

Melissa Heaton

Sarah Jezek is an advocate driven by a clear goal: change within the justice system and better support for survivors. After years navigating the aftermath of her own experience, she is committed to ensuring others don’t have to go through it alone. She is ready to fight for accountability, visibility, and reform.

Run for the Warriors

Whether you’re running your first 5K or your tenth marathon, there’s a place for you on For the Warriors. Join the team, choose your distance, and help us raise funds and awareness for survivors.

Join our Team

Stay Connected

Subscribe for updates on the run, fundraising impact, and future advocacy and community initiatives supporting survivors.

Contact Us

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