CHOCOWINITY — Two local organizations are heading a campaign to raise money for those affected by cancer through a number of fundraisers, one of which will bring its participants to a local golf course for an event featuring a walk, a reception and live music.

Cypress Landing and the Washington Yacht and Country Club are conducting several events in the community to raise money for the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center, and on Sept. 4, it will host its Hope and Heroes Walk at Cypress Landing Golf Course, said Mary Jane Cooke, Hope and Heroes Walk chairperson. The walk, which has already received registration from around 150 people, will start at 5 p.m. and will feature two different courses for participants to walk — a 1.3-mile course or a three-mile course. Participation in the walk requires a $20 entry fee, and the first 200 people to sign up will receive a free t-shirt, specially made for the event, Cooke said.

During the walk, the club will provide water for walkers, and following the walk, participants will gather at Cypress Landing Golf Clubhouse for a reception at 7 p.m. where there will be pizza and a live band, Never 2 Late, performing, Cooke said. Last year, the walk raised around $5,000 and brought friends and relatives of participants and cancer victims to the area to participate. A participant’s brother, who is a sixteen-year pancreatic cancer survivor, came just for the walk, Cooke said.

“It’s so amazing when you see all those people gather with the t-shirts on and walk,” Cooke said. “Not everyone plays golf and this is an opportunity for everyone to come together. Everything has been donated. No money is used from the fundraiser. It all goes to the cancer center and those with cancer in Beaufort County.”

Although the walk is one of the campaign’s primary channels of raising money, there are several other events and fundraisers headed by the coalition between the two clubs. A golf tournament on Sept. 6, entitled Let’s Tee it Up for a Cure, will bring teams of golfers together, starting at 9 a.m., to raise money for the cancer center and those with cancer in Beaufort County. Simultaneously, each club will host separate tournaments. People can register for the tournament for a $50-entry fee, which includes a breakfast and lunch, Cooke said. Tickets are also being sold for a raffle, which will take place at the cancer center, a week following the tournament.

Washington Yacht and Country Club Member and Raffle Chairman Bob Doe said the entire campaign is a good thing in the community and that it wouldn’t be possible without community participation and involvement, as well as its volunteers.

“Every week I meet with a group over at Pamlico Plantation for a men’s breakfast and the last bit of conversation is who came down with caner this week — that’s how it ends,” Doe said. “Individuals don’t get cancer, families do. All these folks are volunteers. They’re all just giving their time for what we do. We’re extremely appreciative.”

Doe also said people can purchase a sign on honor boards at each club for $15, in memory of a lost loved one or in honor of someone who has cancer.

Individuals and businesses can also sponsor holes during the golf tournament for $100, in which their business or name will be advertised on a flag at the hole they sponsor, said Cypress Landing Golf Pro Peg Bodie.

Pam Shadle, manager of marketing, public relations and development at Vidant Beaufort Hospital said all money raised from the entire campaign will benefit the center and those affected by cancer in Beaufort County. The center holds free monthly programs for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers, all of which are possible by fundraisers such as the tournament and the walk. The center also has a patient assistance fund, which aids cancer patients with financial struggles as a result of their sickness, including medications, transportation to appointments, wigs, utilities and more, Shadle said.

Shadle said the tournament, as well as the purchase of cancer bows, has been supported by area businesses and private residents and the campaign has received a laundry list of sponsors, including PotashCorp-Aurora, the walk’s primary sponsor, and over 100 other sponsors.

To sign up for the tournament or sponsor a hole, call WYCC at 252-946-3245 or Cypress Landing Golf Club at 252-946-7788; to sign up for the walk, call Mary Jane Cooke at 252-948-0287; for more information, please call Vidant Beaufort Hospital at 242-975-4134.