Deadlines loom for annual Heart and Sole Cancer Walk

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In its 15th year, the Heart and Sole Cancer Walk is hoping for its biggest year yet.

The 2012 walk, to be held June 15 with the theme of “Gonna Love You Through It,” will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Mitchell Middle School. The organizers will offer a series of runs for the 11th consecutive year. The 5K, 10K and 1.7-mile fun run will start at 7 p.m.

Heart and Sole Cancer Walk Co-Chairwoman Mary Nutter said the number of requests to the group’s assistance board for donations by those affected with cancer has increased in the last year.

“We usually award about $5,000 in assistance per month, and now our requests are up near $10,000 per month in each of the last few months,” Nutter said.

“We see the need every month from those who have been affected by cancer.”

Co-Chairwoman Marlene Warnke said the annual goal is to draw 100 teams to the event and as of Wednesday, Heart and Sole had 95 teams, usually with 10 or more participants on each team, lined up for the event.

The group’s goal is to sell between 3,500 and 4,000 luminaries for this year’s event, which raised $69,800 for the Heart and Sole Cancer Association last year, money that stays in the Mitchell area.

Entertainment will include games and inflatables for kids and live music throughout the night.

The evening’s crowning moment, the candlelight luminary ceremonies, will begin near dusk. The Heart and Sole board is hoping to have a fireworks display again to cap the evening, but the show’s status remains in question after recent dry weather.

“We encourage people to come out and enjoy the event. You don’t have to be on a team to come out, and we realize that not everyone can make the commitment to being on a team, but we hope people still stop by,” Nutter said.

The fundraiser has special meaning for the two co-chairwomen of the event. Nutter has “a handful” of family members who have been impacted by cancer, and Warnke was diagnosed in 2002 with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“Insurance doesn’t cover wigs or hairpieces. There’s a need out there to help pay the costs of both medical bills at home and the usual bills like water or electricity. It’s just really important to me that I make an effort to help,” Warnke said.

To honor the event’s 15th anniversary, the committee is inviting all of its previous honorary co-chairs to come back and join in the festivities.

If the previous co-chairs are unable to attend, the committee is asking for a family member to represent the previous honoree.

Luminaries remain available for purchase for $5 until June 14. The luminaries will also be available the night of the event for $10.

Registration remains open for the races until June 8 for $15, and then $18 after the pre-registration date.

Tags: heart and sole, cancer walk, life, updates, healthcare, cancer, fundraiser, charity