RACHEL DOVE-BALDWIN

Staff Writer

PIKEVILLE, Ky. - “Light the Night” is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s evening walk held annually to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by blood cancers.

Companies, teams, civic groups, neighbors, and friends raise funds and walk carrying illuminated balloons; white for survivors, red for supporters, and gold in memory of those lost to these cancers.

More than a walk, “Light the Night” Awareness is a celebration with food, music, and family -friendly activities. It is a community coming together to support those with cancer. In recent years, walks all over the country have raised millions of dollars.

This year’s Eastern Ky. event will be held at the Pikeville City Park Thurs., Sept. 13. The festivities are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

“This is your chance to be part of something great,” commented Scrappy Louis Barnes, event spokesperson and founder. “Because of the success of walkers across the country, the society is well on its way to accomplishing its mission.”

“The society is investing millions of dollars in the most promising blood cancer research available, and we are seeing tangible results,” he added. “Please join us as we walk together to achieve the society’s mission, which is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, as well as to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.”

If you are interested in putting together a team or would like to join an existing team, please contact Barnes at 606-432-5279,Belinda Hinkle Robinette at 606-353-4527, Mary Martin at 606-285-6590, Belinda Wright at 606-889-9434, or Marlina Chapman at 606-434-2757.

“Register today to begin to make a difference,” stated Barnes. “We hope to see people from Pike, Floyd, Martin, Johnson, Knott, Greenup, and Perry Counties in Ky., as well as our friends from across the Tug River in MIngo County.”