About Walk For Hope
** 2024 Walk for Hope is Oct 12, 2024**
6:00 pm -10:00 pm / Gateway Christian School Football Field
CANCER AND ITS EFFECTS
No one ever wants to hear those words "You have cancer", yet every year, 1,800,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States with 606,000 people dying from the disease. It doesn't distinguish between race, economics, gender, or age. It is estimated that 37% of our population will receive this diagnosis. The costs are staggering: $151 billion is spent annually - greater than the gross domestic product of 137 nations! It creates depression, insecurity, and puts on hold or destroys the plans of people, their families, and their friends.
BUT ... that is not the end of the story! Ironically, cancer can also rejuvenate our relationships, refocus our lives so that we truly know what is truly valuable, and reveal to ourselves that we are far more resilient as individuals, families, and communities than we could have ever imagined. As one cancer survivor put it: “Cancer is a part of our life, but it's not our whole life.”
A COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER
"WALK FOR HOPE" is simply an annual "walk-a-thon" ... like a Ferrari is simply a car.
It's simply one night when cancer Survivors, their families and Support Team and their community come together to celebrate life. We laugh, we cry, we sing, we eat, we remember ... in short, we celebrate the preciousness of life and punctuate our intention to live life to the hilt.
HOW IT STARTED. It all started in 2010 when a determined and committed group of people decided that the best way to support cancer survivors was to help them with living expenses as they concentrated on fighting for their lives through therapy.
Waging war is not cheap. They knew they couldn't do everything, but they could do something.
So "WALK FOR HOPE" in Chaves County was born.
The initial leadership was composed of either cancer survivors or had family members and loved ones who were survivors. Deciding that it was not good enough to simply focus on grief and loss. ALL of us can chose to do something positive for our community. A simple way to start was to find a way to support the financial strains and lift emotional stress associated with their diagnosis. We also decided that all of the funds that were raised would remain local.
Since then, “Walk for Hope” has grown to become one of the biggest charity fundraising events in our community. In 2010, Walk for Hope had about 850 people in attendance and in 2022 there were approximately 7,000 people in attendance.
WHY DO WE DO THIS? Because every person and their family who receives the diagnosis needs to be reminded: you will not fight this alone - your neighbors are standing with you! Because cancer doesn't care where you work, who you love, or what you do, we are all affected.
No. We refuse to be quiet.
Whether it's a work-place challenge, a church craft or bake sale, a giving-back by local businesses, or a well-coordinated corporate investment, we are a community that cares for our own. That's why a corp of volunteers will work throughout the year so that every penny goes towards helping people fight. Walk for Hope owes its success to the many volunteers, sponsors and participants who support it each year.
Without all of you, there would not be “Walk for Hope”!
Thank you for interest and support in Walk for Hope!
Ready to help? Click HERE.
Do you NEED help? Click HERE.