Walkers make big strides for breast cancer

Hundreds of people pounded the pavement in downtown Wilmington Saturday to fight breast cancer.

The annual Making Strides against Breast Cancer Walk/Run is a major fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. This year’s event took about a three-mile trip around the streets of the Port City.

Those who participated all did so in memory of a friend or loved one who suffered from the disease. Jenny Shope and more than twenty others dubbed themselves “Pearl’s Girls” to remember her mother who died of breast cancer.

“Anything you do for breast cancer will help. Whether you contribute your time, your money, your energy,” said Shope. “If you help somebody that has breast cancer, if you just go to visit them, if you take them a meal, anything you do is helpful. Just don’t forget them.”

Nationally, more than 600,000 walkers participate in making strides each year, raising more than $60 million.

This year’s event in Wilmington brought in more than $30,000.