After two years in a virtual format due to COVID-19, Heaven Can Wait – the popular annual 5K walk/run and fundraiser for Sara’s Project – will return as an in-person event at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2.
And that’s not all that’s new: This year, the event will start and end at Redmond High School’s stadium, with a course that takes participants through Redmond’s scenic Dry Canyon.
“It is our hope that bringing Heaven Can Wait to Redmond will provide a more central location for community members who have been touched by breast cancer to come together, wherever they are in their cancer journey,” said Anna Contreras, events and development specialist with St. Charles Foundation. “The Central Oregon community has been steadfast supporters of this event and St. Charles Foundation and event volunteers are thrilled to be bringing the walk to Redmond.”
Heaven Can Wait raises money for Sara’s Project, a fund of the St. Charles Foundation that helps provide vital support services to people in Central Oregon who are battling breast cancer. Over its 23-year existence, the event has raised approximately $100,000 annually for assistance to under-insured patients, as well as integrative therapies such as therapeutic massage, acupuncture, yoga, and reiki.
Heaven Can Wait has also become an important opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate cancer survivors while also remembering loved ones.
“It has been almost three years since the community last gathered to support this powerful event,” said Mari Shay, administrative director of cancer services for St. Charles. “This will be my first Heaven Can Wait, and I look forward to meeting more cancer survivors and our community partners as we stand together to support those who are battling breast cancer.”
To participate or volunteer in the 5K walk/run, register at HeavenCanWait.org. For questions related to the event, contact Anna Contreras at 541-788-2940 or afcontreras@
