Members of the Cypress Landing community of Chocowinity are lacing up their walking shoes and encouraging the community-at-large to do the same as it prepares to host its annual Hope and Heroes Walk. The walk was designed three years ago as a component of a much larger fundraiser to benefit patients and fund programs at the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center.

The walk will be held Sept. 10 at 5 p.m., followed by the biggest component of the initiative, Let’s Tee It Up for a Cure golf tournament on Sept. 12.

According to Mary Jane Cooke, event chairperson and Cypress Landing resident, the walk provides community residents that do not play golf a means to join in the mission to raise money to benefit patients, survivors and caregivers at the center.

Those participating in the walk have a choice of whether to walk a 1.3-mile trek or a three-mile loop around the golf course, Cooke said. So far, about 160 people have signed up to participate, just over half of the amount of registrants last year, but with three weeks left until the walk, the group is hopeful that there will be a big turnout. Residents are permitted to come and participate the day of the walk. The cost to walk is $20 per person and the first 200 registrants will receive a free T-shirt, commemorating the event.

During the walk, honor boards from both Cypress Landing and Washington Yacht and Country Club will be on display.

“It’s a display that is set up with the names of family members or friends to either honor someone or memorialize someone,” said Carole Ahlman, chairperson for the honor boards. “ A lot of it is centered around survivors or those lost to cancer. Some people just want to do loved ones; it’s not confined to cancer. It’s just a way to honor or remember people and a way to contribute to the cause.”

Each name on the honor board is a result of a $15 dollar donation in remembrance of a loved one, Ahlman said. The honor board also serves as a way for those who do not play golf to get involved. The deadline for submitting a name to be displayed on the honor board is Sept. 7, according to Ahlman.

“It’s a way that people that don’t play golf can honor their loved ones, and it’s an outreach,” Cooke said. “It’s important for people who have lost people to cancer to be able to express the fact that they’re not here anymore and to honor those survivors.”

Following the walk, a reception will be held, featuring pizza donated from eight different establishments in the area, baked goods from volunteer bakers and a cash bar, as well as live music, courtesy of the band Never 2 Late, comprised of two Cypress Landing residents, according to Cooke.

“It’s a very exciting night,” Cooke said. “It’s a big party. It’s cool to see all the white shirts going along the course. It’s everything from moms pushing infants to small kids walking; all ages are welcome — young and old.”

Another campaign of the overall initiative, the sale of handmade purple bows to area residents and pink and purple bows to local businesses to display as a show of support has garnered around $25,000 so far, according to Cooke.

Proceeds from the event and supporting campaigns will go toward funding programs at the cancer center, including complimentary therapies, health education programs and other expenses incurred by those with cancer, according to Pam Shadle, public relations coordinator for Vidant Health. Though the focus of the overall initiative is aiding the patients, caregivers and survivors at the center, part of the funds raised is used in an effort to prevent and detect cancer through outreach programs, Shadle said.

And though some community members who participate have not experienced a cancer diagnosis, many have been affected by the disease in some way whether through supporting a family member or friend or being a survivor themselves.

“A lot of folks get involved in the initiative related to cancer because they have experience it in some sort of way,” Cooke said. “It becomes their passion because of what they went through. It’s a journey for not only the person but also the family. It’s a way to be apart of (the initiative) and contribute and show support.”

To donate, participate or for more information call: Carole Ahlman at 252-948-1431 for the honor board or call the Cypress Landing Golf Club at 252-946-7788.