ESTEVAN - The organizers of Estevan's Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis (CF) History are hopeful the event will continue to receive support from the community in what is a milestone year.
The 10th annual event will take place on May 26 at Woodlawn Regional Park. It will open with registration and a breakfast – including coffee, tea, muffins and fruit – at 9 a.m. Opening ceremonies will be at 10:30 a.m. and the walk will be just after 11 a.m. A barbecued lunch will be served after the walk is finished, likely around 12:30 p.m., and closing ceremonies will wrap up the festivities.
The gazebo beside Lingelbach Field at Mets Stadium will be the start-finish line, and the walk will go through Woodlawn Regional Park's Preddy Trails.
Event organizer Kasey McIntyre, whose son Liam has been diagnosed with CF, said people can take a two-kilometre walk to the dog park, and transportation will be available back to the starting point.
"The other option is to do four kilometres – it might be a little more than four – but if you want to go further than the dog park, then people can go up and around that … road that leads you back to Mets Stadium," said McIntyre.
Life with CF is challenging, she said, so people often push themselves through the walk.
There will be silent auction items, donated by generous people in the community who want to see an end to CF, she said. They also have a number of sponsors for the event.
Participants will also receive a goody bag with items from people in the community who support the walk.
McIntyre said it's hard to believe the event has been around for a decade. It started off being held at the Kin Playpark in the Hillside subdivision and has grown to be a fixture in the community.
"It's come a long ways, and we've seen so many advancements in our time [hosting the event]," said McIntyre.
For the second straight year, Liam and family will have their lemonade stand set up on May 18 at the Dennis Moore Centennial Park, and at a location on Henry Street across from the Kin Hillside Playpark.
McIntyre's father, Ron Dunville, has been collecting empty beverage containers and taking them to SARCAN to be recycled, with proceeds going to the McIntyre Family and Friends team entered in the walk.
Last year's walk raised more than $14,000 for the fight to end CF. Forty-four people participated.
This year is also the 20th edition of the national Walk to Make CF History, and McIntyre said it's nice the local walk has been around for half of that time.
