Duane Hicks
The inaugural “Walk of Hope” for ovarian cancer awareness likely will become an annual event here.
Organizer Aimee Beazley, whose mother, Donna Lee, passed away from the disease last August, was pleased with the success of Sunday afternoon’s event and aims to do it again next September.
“I was happy with it,” Beazley enthused. “The weather was perfect.
“We got just enough people,” she added. “It think with more people [turning out], with it just being me, I would definitely need more volunteers.”
Still, Beazley would like to see it become an annual event.
“I got a lot of positive feedback, the biggest thing being, ‘Do it again next year,’” she noted.
“Somebody said, ‘Next year, we should get T-shirts made up.’”
Beazley said she tried getting in contact with Ovarian Cancer Canada prior to this year’s event but was unsuccessful.
But next year, she will be sure to do so well in advance of the walk in order to better promote the local event.
“Next year, I want to make sure it’s bigger and better,” Beazley vowed, adding local resident Amy Spicer, who has been in contact with Ovarian Cancer Canada quite a bit, already has said she will help stage the event next September.
Beazley estimated 45 people of various ages took part in Sunday’s walk, which followed the La Verendrye Parkway from the overpass to the red sun shelter in front of the hospital and back again.
What’s more, pretty much everybody who participated made donations, she added.
As of Monday morning, she had $791.10, with more still to come in.
Beazley also accepted donations from one individual prior to Sunday’s walk.
Grace George, who along with two of her cousins had set up a table outside their home earlier this summer to draw magic marker “tattoos” on passers-by in exchange for a donation, gave $38 to Beazley on Friday afternoon.
All of this money will be forwarded to Ovarian Cancer Canada.
In addition to the pleasant weather, walk participants were given water at the halfway point.
Then afterwards, they were treated to refreshments such as juice boxes, granola bars, bananas, and ice cream cups.
Participants were urged beforehand to wear teal—the official colour for ovarian cancer awareness—and many did.
