Rays of Hope Walk & Run Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer Announces Hybrid Virtual Challenge

SPRINGFIELD — This year’s Rays of Hope Walk & Run Toward the Cure of Breast Cancer, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 24, will once again shift from an in-person event to a hybrid event in order to protect the health and safety of the community in light of the fourth wave of COVID-19.

The event will welcome participants in their cars at Temple Beth El on Dickinson Street in Springfield as part of a Pink Parade of Hope as they show support for the hundreds of individuals locally living with breast cancer and those who will be newly diagnosed.

In addition to the parade, there will also be a virtual program open to all, especially those who cannot attend the Pink Parade of Hope.

Rays of Hope began as a grassroots effort 27 years ago to raise money to support local women and men while investing in meaningful research, and its mission is more important than ever today. Last year, the community raised more than $300,000 in support of breast-cancer patients and its research. However, that represented only about half of a traditional Rays of Hope event total, resulting in fewer resources for breast-cancer patients and their families. 

“Rays of Hope supports people we know personally, both directly and through services funded by Rays of Hope in the region. Without the community’s generous contributions, we cannot fund important research and support women and men along their journey with everything from prosthetics to therapies,” said Kathy Tobin, director of Annual Giving and Events at the Baystate Health Foundation. “We are counting on the generosity and resilience of our participants, volunteers, and friends to help embrace the power of pink and raise even more money this year.”

More details will be forthcoming as plans are finalized. For the latest updates, visit baystatehealth.org/raysofhope.