Betty Voes was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in May and had a double mastectomy in June. Now she hopes to help other women facing the same thing.
But getting involved in Sunday's first Paws for the Cause fundraising walk took a little prodding from her daughter. The walk is a breast cancer benefit for the Mid-Missouri affiliate of Susan G. Koman for the Cure.
"She said, "Mom, we're going to do this,' and we got it going," Voes said.
The event was one of three local fundraising walks on Sunday that brought out several hundred local residents during cool-but-sunny weather.
Voes' daughter, veterinarian Stacie Kautsch, said the fundraising goal is $5,000, and they were already close before the event had started.
Walkers, who were invited to bring their dogs to the event at Memorial Park, were asked to raise at least $20 through donations or selling T-shirts. A silent auction also was held at the event.
Voes had Hodgkin's disease 21 years ago, but her current cancer had not spread in the lymph nodes. She said her prognosis is good, and that doctors told her there's only a 7 percent chance her cancer would return.
At the Capitol, between 200-225 people attended the annual Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk.
Judi Hasler got involved after her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Her mother died five years ago, and Hasler now organizes the walk.
During an interview, she shared advice she got years ago after attending a support group.
"In our first support group meeting, two ladies told us to get our financial affairs together," she said. "It's one of the most important pieces of information I got."
She said the disease can progress quickly, so it's best to take care of the matter before you think you need to.
Sunday's event was expected to raise up to $25,000, but it was also a chance to raise awareness of the disease and to honor those who have died from it.
"This is a disease that is fast taking over our country," said Linda Newkirk, the executive director of the Alzheimer's Association's Mid-Missouri chapter. "It's a disease that impacts the entire family, and there's no cure."
About 14,000 Mid-Missourians have Alzheimer's, she said.
At McKay Park, about 50 people participated in the Jefferson City chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Mid-Missouri's Walk for Independence.
The walk, which has been held for about two decades, raises about $2,000, said Rita Lynch, president of the local chapter. "It's not enough, but every little bit counts," she said.
The money goes to scholarships for blind students and to aid people who have recently lost their vision.
The group also supports discrimination cases brought by blind people.
"Our biggest problem is the misunderstanding the public has," Lynch said. "They don't know that (blind) people can live independently and live a normal life."