On Saturday, April 12, Nemaha County’s Giving Hope Cancer Fund gathered together with cancer survivors and their friends and families to celebrate their strength and determination with a walk around the Auburn Recreational Complex. The event was the first of its kind for the organization and saw a wonderful turnout on the breezy weekend evening.
“This event isn’t necessarily a fundraiser,” said Christy Riggins, one of the walk’s lead organizers, “It is more to acknowledge and celebrate the survivors, and to honor those who have passed.” Being that it wasn’t held to be a fundraiser, there was no registry for an exact count of how many walkers were actually there. However, blessing bags, or luminaries, were on sale for $5 a piece, which walkers could purchase and decorate to memorialize those who have passed away. The luminaries were then organized around the walking path with small, battery operated candles to make the paper bags glow when the sun set. Riggins noted that the organization had made around $250 from the luminary sales, and it was clear that nearly three-fourths of the seating available in the recreation complex pavilion was full with survivors and supporters.
Beginning at 6 p.m., attendees were given time to eat dinner, catered by The Spotted Cow and Chad’s Kitchen food trucks, before the walk began at 7 p.m. The survivors were given the honor of taking the first lap and, once they completed the shortened course, the rest of the walkers were free to join them for the full walk around the trail. Auburn High School’s Art Club was present offering face paintings, and towards the end of the event, around 9 p.m., a fire was started and those still in attendance were treated to s’mores. Shirts were printed for the event by Scarlett and Green and Katy Wessels served as the disc jockey for the event.
