A mariachi band welcomed guests to La Chapina Restaurant on July 30 as volunteers celebrated the kickoff event for the annual Florida Keys Hope Walk. Formerly known as the Strides Walk, the event has expanded in recent years to bring awareness and support to those, both past and present, fighting every form of cancer.
The 2024 walk is set for Saturday, Oct. 12 from 8 a.m. to noon at Crane Point Hammock. Funds raised go to support the American Cancer Society.
In 2023, the walk supported lodging and transportation for 30 Florida Keys patients who needed to travel for cancer treatment. In the fall of 2023, the group granted $15,000 to Baptist hospitals, and in 2024 they will use $25,000 to assist patients with lodging in Miami or wherever else they need to travel, aided by reduced room rates at Extended Stay America hotels.
Photos by ALEX RICKERT/Keys Weekly
