ESTEVAN — The Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis (CF) History is approaching for Estevan, and will again serve as an important fundraiser in the fight against the disease.
The event will happen May 25 at the Binzebo at Woodlawn Regional Park. There will be a breakfast and registration at 9 a.m. New for this year is a morning stretch at 10, opening ceremonies will be at around 10:30 and then the walk begins at 11 a.m.
Participants will navigate the park's Preddy Trails for two or four kilometres. A golf cart will be on-site to bring them back to the start-finish line if they want to be done or they can't complete the walk. A free barbecued lunch will follow the event for the registered participants, and then children's activities such as face painting, rock painting and a cornhole game will wrap up the day.
Event organizer Kasey McIntyre said they had close to 50 people registered as of the morning of May 18. Online signup closes May 23, but people can still join the walk until just before it starts through the more conventional paper forms. McIntyre said the latter takes a little longer to complete.
"I'm really happy to see that people continue to come to our walk and want to be part of our day," said McIntyre.
The walk has received a lot of community support again this year, she said. Woodlawn has been the host site for a number of years. The morning stretch is something she has wanted to add for a while, and she's happy to have it included this year.
Among the fundraisers once again this year is a bottle drive. McIntyre's father Ron Dunville has been busy picking up empty bottles and cans from locations around the community as a fundraiser for the Team McIntyre Family and Friends, while other people have been dropping off donations.
The team will also have its annual barbecue at the Â鶹ÊÓƵern Plains Co-op on May 23 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. An online auction is underway on Facebook and will continue until May 21 at 6:30 p.m.
"We're getting there. Everything's coming together. Everyone's ready and excited. People keep messaging me … and a couple of people put some items together for our silent auction once they saw we were having one, so that was really nice of them. People are asking 'What do you need?' and that's so nice to have people want to help out in any way."
Organizers and supporters want to ensure people with CF have access to medicine and nobody is left behind in the community, she said.
Last year's event raised $16,932. McIntyre said the national organization has set the goal for Estevan at $18,000.
People can visit the to register.
