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The Bellingham community is again teaming up with a diverse group of students from Western Washington University to support the Bellingham Brain Cancer Walk (BBCW) on Sunday, May 15, which begins with registration at 1 p.m. at Civic Field in Bellingham.

The BBCW is a charitable, noncompetitive event held in honor of 17-year-old Hannah Dashiell, who died tragically during an auto accident in 2014 while in the process of planning the first annual walk in memory of her grandfather Jerry Dashiell, who passed away from brain cancer in 2007. While keeping Hannah’s dream alive, the BBCW has also been as a place of support for people who lost loved ones, survivors, and those currently battling brain cancer, including the estimated 77,000 people who will receive a diagnosis in 2016.

The BBCW first came to life as Dan Purdy, the director of Western’s Front Door to Discovery program and a family friend of the Dashiells, worked with six students from Western and three from Hannah’s alma mater, Squalicum High School, in a grassroots effort to put on the first annual walk in her honor. Since then, the community involvement has grown each year.

Jason Bergman, who personally worked with Hannah on the planning of her project, and his leadership class from Squalicum have helped each year with logistics and volunteering at the event. From ²ÝÁñÉçÇø, Instructor Heather Davidson’s Communication Studies students have helped each year with various projects including sponsorship correspondence and promotional designs in the form of a service learning project in various classes.

Additionally, the academic campus club the ‘NeRDS’ (Neuroscience Research Driven Students) have contributed promotional opportunities and are planning a neuroscience awareness outreach booth at the walk this year as their first involvement with the walk.

²ÝÁñÉçÇø Behavioral Neuroscience student Bonnie Sullivan stepped up last fall to become the 2016 chairperson and the head of promotions for this year’s walk. Both her academic interest in neuroscience and role in the committee have personal meaning from the passing of her mother from a type of malignant brain cancer, an anaplastic astrocytoma, in her early childhood.

Check-in and registration begins at 1 p.m., followed by the main walk event and closing ceremonies at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. Attendees can make stops at the tent set up in honor of Hannah’s Heroes, a play zone for the young ones, enter the event raffle and hear live music performed by Sanoma. An after-party will be held at Aslan Brewery from 4-5 p.m., with a portion of the proceeds going to the event.

Registration for the walk is $25 online, $35 at the event or as a “virtual walker,” while patients may participate for free.

All proceeds of the walk benefit the EndBrainCancer Initiative/Chris Elliott Fund. The fund’s mission is to enhance lives and empower patients by closing the existing gap from initial diagnosis to immediate and expanded access to advanced treatment, clinical trials, and critical care.

This year, the BBCW team will add to the $13,000 already raised during the 2013 and 2014 walks. Since the outset, community volunteers, including those from local businesses and schools, have been the force behind the BBCW by walking in the event and making headwork behind the scenes. 

To register for the walk, go to . To see a video of last year's event, go to .

For more information, contact Bonnie Sullivan, BBCW chair, at Sullivb7@outlook.com or (206) 724-2932. Image above courtesy Tohn Keagle.