Annual Rays of Hope Walk & Run steps off to fight breast cancerDate: 10/15/2019 SPRINGFIELD – It will be time for the Valley to “Think Pink” again as the 26th Annual Rays of Hope Walk & Run Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer steps off from Springfield’s Temple Beth El on Oct. 27.
Check-in for the run begins at 7:30 a.m. followed by step off at 8:30 a.m.; check-in for the walk begins at 9 a.m. followed by step off at 10:30 a.m. Buses for runners begin operating at 7:30 a.m. from the Lenox (formerly American Saw) lot, 301 Chestnut St. in East Longmeadow – and at 8:30 a.m. for walkers (parking info at baystatehealth.org/raysofhope) – to shuttle them to Temple Beth El. The walk and run, which winds through Springfield’s Forest Park, will take place rain or shine.
The event goal – as always – is to raise both funds for and awareness about – the fight to find a cure for breast cancer. The second most common cancer in the U. S., the American Cancer Society reports breast cancer was diagnosed in 252,710 women and 2,470 men nationwide in 2017.
Michelle Graci, manager of events, Baystate Health Foundation, which oversees the Rays of Hope Walk and Run, said as always Rays of Hope – which has raised $14.8 million for locally-based programs since its inception in 1994 – is looking to exceed the $611,000 brought in by last year’s walk and run.
“We strive to surpass last year in order to fund the important research and many programs throughout the community that we support,” Graci told Reminder Publishing. In an article published in The Reminder’s sister publication, Prime magazine, last October. Dr. Grace Makari-Judson, co-director of The Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research at Baystate Medical Center recounted some of the programs and services the walk supports, including: clinical trial programs; development of the now state-of-the art Radioactive Seed Localization program; the Western Mass.-based Breast Research Registry; patient support groups; art therapy; yoga and water exercise classes; massage therapy; ongoing survivor wellness programs, and an award-winning survivor’s dragon boat team on the Connecticut River.
“The walkers still amaze me. The stories I hear, every year there’s something that touches me,” walk founder Lucy Giuggio Carvalho told Prime in response to last year’s 25th anniversary celebration of Rays of Hope. Carvalho will once again be among the dignitaries attending this year’s walk, and is scheduled to take part in a photo op for “Big Wig” walkers and runners who have raised $1,000 or more online by credit card for this year’s event.
Carvalho organized the first Rays of Hope walk the year after receiving a diagnosis of stage 1 breast cancer at age 38, in gratitude for the treatment she had received at Baystate Medical Center.
This year’s Rays of Hope is still accepting applications for walkers and runners, both in person and virtually. Virtual walkers – or swimmers, bowlers and more – are asked to log the equivalent of 5 miles of activity and collect donations toward the cure for their participation. For more info about registering to join this year’s walk call 794-8001 or visit baystatehealth.org/raysofhope.
This year’s Rays of Hope major sponsors include Baystate Breast & Wellness Center, Baystate Breast Specialists, Baystate Radiology & Imaging, Chicopee Savings Charitable Foundation, Compass One, Kinsley Power Systems, Westfield Bank, USA Waste & Recycling Inc., Hologic, The San Diego Foundation, and Zasco Productions. A listing of all sponsors can be found on the Rays of Hope website. Also, all Baystate Health Foundation events are underwritten by Health New England.
|
