6th Annual Believe Walk Raises over $250,000 for Cancer Research

The streets of Redlands were filled with pink dogs, wigs, tutus, bras and even pink firemen on Sunday Oct. 6 for the Stater Bros. Charities & Inland Women Fighting Cancer 6th Annual Believe Walk. The walk started at 8 a.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar, followed by a few brief speeches given by the founders of Inland Women Fighting Cancer and the CEO of Stater Bros. Jack H. Brown, CEO of Stater Bros., opened by joking, “You can see this crowd from here all the way to the mall.” The crowd chuckled along with Brown as he thanked everyone for their support. Inland Women Fighting Cancer founders Annie Sellas, Cathy Stockton and Nancy Varner began the group after surviving cancer together. They took turns Sunday at the microphone thanking everyone for their time and support. Annie Sellas reminisced about their first walk in 2008 with just 1,700 walkers in comparison to over 10,000 participating walkers at Sunday’s sixth annual event. Over the past six years, the Believe Walk has been able to raise over $1.7 million, event founders shared. Bubbles filled the air as the crowd began their walk at State Street in downtown Redlands, cheering and chanting as they made their way through the course. Walkers and runners chose a 5K or 10K walk, but along the way they all enjoyed some form of entertainment like local bands and high school cheerleaders rooting them on, to name a few. Stater Bros. provided water stations throughout the course and walking dogs were also able to quench their thirst at designated dog water stations. Both routes ended at the Believe Bash, where free goodies were given out by vendors including Bakers, Hansen’s Natural, and Sizzler. The Believe Bash allowed supporters to get to know each other and their stories. “I’m walking for my grandmother Catalina,” said walker Linda after posing with walkers Lily and Sandra. The group was walking with Palm Imaging Institute, a vendor at the Believe Bash. Participant Eddie and his dog Lola, who was sporting a pink tutu, walked for Eddie’s grandmother. Many other people walked with pictures of loved ones on their T-shirts or carried posters with photos on them to raise awareness and support those battling cancer. All the proceeds of the Believe Walk go towards finding a cure for cancer, locally supporting the Inland Empire. In online donations alone, Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting cancer were able to raise over $258,021.81. Cathy Stockton, one of the founders of Inland Women Fighting Cancer, left countless walkers with this Walt Whitman quote: “Keep your face always towards the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.”