Earlier today I participated in the annual Great Strides walk to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation held at the Park at Riverwalk.  It was a hot morning for this time of year and the heat did take it's toll on me.  I got fatigued fairly quickly, but was able to get through the walk with no problems.  After the walk, they had lunch.  Sandwiches were provided by The Garden Spot and pizza was provided by BJ's Restaurant & Brewery.  Great Harvest Bread Co. served up some of its goodies (breads, scones, coffee, etc).  There was also a private DJ there playing some good music and he also announced the winning raffle ticket numbers for each prize raffled off.  There was also free ice cream, water, and sodas.  There was a raffle and a silent auction, both of which had some nice prizes, like Bakersfield Blaze tickets, San Jose Sabercats (arena football) tickets, and gift cards to places like Dewar's, Uricchio's Trattoria, and Regal Entertainment Group (who owns Edwards Cinemas and United Artist movie theaters).  I won a little prize package from Dreyer's Ice Cream, which included a free case of ice cream (that I have to call and pick it up from the factory here in Bakersfield), a viser, and a little notepad in a nice bag.  They actually raffled off 8 of them-I won one.  I only participated in the raffle, not the auction.

It seemed like there was a bigger turnout this year than last year.  I met some of the other walkers and one girl who suffers from CF (the girl who posted her story in The Bakersfield Californian last week and The Northwest Voice) while at the walk.  Everyone I met were very nice.  I also saw some people that I already knew there.  I finished 2 laps (about 3 miles) in about 40 minutes.  All together, the walk raised somwhere around $38,000 (last year it raised $17,000).  I had a coin drive at my work that raised $207.49 for this year's walk.  Next year I look to put together a team of co-workers (I tried, but failed miserably, to do so this year) and hopefully raise even more money for the walk.  I enjoyed the walk and look forward to next year's walk already.

Well, that's about it.  I'll be sure to post some pictures from the walk sometime soon.