On Saturday, July 17th, GBI’s Washington Region took part in the third annual Valley Girls & Guys’ Be the Hope Walk at Summit Park in Maple Valley.
That day, GBI’s nine-member team walked a collective 16.2 miles to raise money for cancer research and treatment—and bring hope to cancer patients and their families. GBI was a sponsor of the event and contributed $5,000 to Valley Girls & Guys, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that hosts the walk every year.
The GBI team included Karen Lyons, Lindsey Douglas, David McDowell, Mitch Bowman, Sam Isen, Devon Walter, Dana Wright, Emily Reeves (Dana’s daughter), and Megan Kansanback (Dana’s niece). Each team member logged 1.8 miles for a team total of 16.2 miles. Following the walk, there was an afterparty with food trucks, a beer and wine garden, live music, and a silent auction.
This year’s event drew 588 walkers and raised nearly $300,000, which will help support cancer patients and their families, fund clinical trials, and provide academic scholarships to students who have been directly impacted by cancer, among other things.
And the money raised at this year’s Be the Hope Walk is already making a difference: Valley Girls & Guys recently presented a $50,000 check to Seattle Children’s Hospital for its immunotherapy program. Another check for $100,000 was presented to Valley Medical Center/UW Medicine’s cancer center, along with an additional $50,000 to fund a dedicated oncology research coordinator at the center. And a $57,458 check was given to UW Medicine so it can continue a vaccine trial for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
To learn more about Valley Girls & Guys and the annual Be the Hope Walk, visit ValleyGirlsAndGuys.org.
