Statewide walkers help Alaska charities: the 2003 Visitor Industry Charity Walk will be held May 9.

• Author: Pilkington, Steve
• Position: This Month

For the past three years, an annual event has helped nonprofit charities fund a wide variety of services, from giving help to caretakers of Alzheimer's patients to supporting shelters for battered women. The great part is, those who help raise the funds get a healthy 5k walk and the chance to take part in some wonderful Alaska summertime cuisine.

"We have fun every year, said Heather Dodson of the 2003 Visitor Industry Charity Walk.

Up to 4,000 walkers are expected to participate in the 4th annual 5K "graze to raise" in Anchorage by gathering pledges and appetites for a fun walk through downtown on Friday, May 9.

The charity walk was established in 2000 to celebrate the tourism industry's commitment to the community, event organizers said. The Alaska visitor industry, in partnership with United Way of Anchorage, created the fun, community event to raise money for designated United Way programs, as well as other nonprofit organizations. Event sponsors and volunteers enable expenses to be kept at a minimum, allowing the bulk of the proceeds to go to charity.

"We've set an ambitious goal of raising $170,000 for Anchorage charities through the 2003 AVICW," said Mark Eliason of US Travel, who is serving as chair of the 2003 event.

The 2003 Alaska Visitor Industry Charity Walk will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Park Strip near Ninth Avenue and M Street in Anchorage. Themed food villas will be set up along the walk route featuring food from around the world. Participants will end at the Park Strip for a grand finale, a WOW event that features a variety of entertainment and activities, door prizes and plenty of dessert choices.

Visitor Industry Charity Walks also are scheduled for Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan.

Last year, 52 charities received a total of $122,000 in donations from the Anchorage AVICW. An additional $55,000 was raised at walks in Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan.

All proceeds from the Ketchikan walk will benefit the Ketchikan Chapter of the March of Dimes. The walk is sponsored by the tourism...