Light The Night Mini Walk Coming October 24

On Saturday, October 24, the Connecticut chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) will be holding a Mini Light The Night Walk at Newtown High School. The event is in conjunction with LLS’s four 2009 Light The Night fundraising walks across Connecticut. It will be a noncompetitive walk that has no fitness requirements and is one of more than 240 similar events being held in communities throughout the United States and Canada.

Light The Nightis LLS’s annual evening walk that raises funds for blood cancer research and patient programs. These unique, family-friendly, evening walks celebrate and commemorate lives touched by blood cancers. Participants at the walks carry illuminated balloons — white for survivors, red for supporters, and gold to remember those who have lost their battle.

There is no minimum fundraising requirement to participate in Light The Night, but a donation of $10 per person or more is greatly appreciated, and will help save lives and find cures for leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

In addition to the walk itself, there will be a bounce house for children, snacks, jewelry, and baked goods available for purchase, and live music.

Co-chairs are Ginny Chion and Colette Ercole, along with Newtown High School Athletic Director Gregg Simon.

In addition to the two-hour event at Newtown High School later this month, people can participate by having fundraisers of their own or asking for donations. Volunteers and in-kind donations are always needed. Teams can consider holding a car wash, tag sale, or sell paper balloons to raise funds and spread awareness. Fundraising and walking count as community service hours for all interested students.

As of this week, Ms Chion reported, ten teams had signed up to participate on October 24.

However, “You do not have to belong to a team or raise money to attend this event,” pointed out Ms Ercole. “You can support by simply showing up, with family and friends, and walking with us. The walk is open to everyone that day. the more the merrier.”

To find out more about participating in a Light The Night Walk or the Newtown community event, companies, businesses, and individuals can call Ms Chion at 426-0851 or Ms Ercole at 426-9035. Information is also available at pages.LightTheNight.org/ct/Norwalk09/NewtownMiniWalkCelebration. Online registration is also available through that website.

Registration at the event begins at 5:30. The walk will begin around 7.