Yates Hope Walk set for Saturday, Aug. 27

YATES COUNTY (8/24/16)--The Yates County Hope Walk will hold their inaugural fundraiser this weekend. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 27, and will run from noon to midnight at Stork Fields, located at 467 N. Main St. in Penn Yan. The goal of the event is to raise $20,000 for cancer victims in Yates County, with Co-Organizer Dusty Baker noting they have already raised $19,000 as of last week.
"I'm sure at this point we are going to soar past that goal," Baker said.
The Hope Walk was organized by a grassroots group of community members who were formerly members of the Yates County Relay for Life committee. The money raised will stay in Yates County to support people with cancer.
Baker estimated they will have 22 teams totaling 150 people Saturday evening, with the potential for more with walk-ins. The opening ceremony will take place at noon, with a fair with games and prizes running from 2 to 4 p.m. Baker said there will be three live bands and a DJ performing throughout the evening. A luminary ceremony will be held at 9:30 p.m., with the closing ceremonies at midnight.
Community members Dawn and Marty Shipman, Baker, Ron Miller, Pat Moravec, Kevin and Cindy Murphy, and Alicia Parkurst worked to develop this new plan after the absence of a Relay for Life event in the county this year. The Living Well was also approached by the organizers of Hope Walk of Yates County to develop a strategy to provide support for those living in Yates County affected by cancer.
In the past the money raised has been sent to the American Cancer Society in Rochester. The money raised this year will stay in Yates County to support people with cancer.
Baker said there are 25 cancer survivors registered for the event, adding they are inviting more to attend the survivors' dinner and event. For more, visit www.hopewalkofyatescounty.com or call 607-283-HOPE (4673).