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It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a super fundraiser for the Hospitals of Regina Foundation.
On Wednesday, kids got to see some of their favourite superheroes rappelling down the courtyard at the Regina General Hospital.
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Members of the Regina Police Service SWAT team were dressed up as Batman, Superman, Deadpool, Captain America and Star-Lord as they rappelled down the building to bring smiles to the faces of young patients and raise money to help the foundation.
One of the kids watching in awe was eight-year-old Noah Gabutan, who was playing cards and rock-paper-scissors inside before noticing the officers outside the window.
“I met the superheroes and they loved me so much,” Gabutan said, proudly showing off a necklace the heroes gave him.
Cst. Erik Justason, dressed as Batman, brings smiles to the faces of young patients at the Regina General Hospital. (Hospitals of Regina Foundation/Facebook)
Gabutan said he was excited to meet the heroes. When asked which of the superheroes was his favourite, Gabutan said he liked all of them.
According to Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO of the Hospitals of Regina Foundation, more than $15,000 was raised on Wednesday, and the event’s fundraising page will continue to accept donations for several weeks.
“The whole motivation is to support our pediatrics here in Regina. These are the tertiary centers,” Sophocleuous explained.
“Our pediatric programs here support the whole of south Saskatchewan.”
Sophocleous said roughly 20,000 children come through Regina’s hospitals every year. Some stay only a couple of hours, while others need to stay for months.
“I think it went great. The turnout was fantastic. The children upstairs at the inpatient clinic had a great time,” Sophocleuous said.
“They loved the superheroes and they loved the canine unit as well. I couldn’t be happier.”
Cst. Paul McNutt was one of the officers who rappelled down the courtyard, dressed as Captain America. He said entertaining kids isn’t something the SWAT team normally gets to do.
“We get to give back in a different way, and it really allows us to interact with the community in a way that we don’t get to in our day-to-day jobs, especially our job on the tactical unit,” McNutt said.
Cst. Paul McNutt was dressed as Captain America during the event on Sept. 10, 2025. He said entertaining kids isn’t part of the SWAT team’s normal duties. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)
“We don’t necessarily get to see the brighter side of the community all the time, so this is just a nice way for us to use some of our training and kind of give back to the people who give to the Regina Police Service every day.”
Tom Sorensen, director of maternal and children’s programs for the Regina General Hospital and rural areas, said the day was very fun for the hospital’s young patients.
“Events like this are amazing,” Sorensen said.
“When we were up there today, the kids were just smiling and clapping and looking so excited for this to be going on… I think we always forget sometimes that as an adult, being a patient is bad enough, but kids, it can be real tough on some of them.”
Sorensen said he appreciated being able to provide a welcoming environment for the kids who might be going through a tough time.
He said the hospital’s pediatric ward is always in need of portable monitors and chairs for family members, who he encourages to stay with their children at the hospital as much as possible.
