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For the ninth year, Team WHIP will paint the town pink for the Ride and Walk Health Fest on October 19. Though the location hasn’t yet been announced, the community is invited to come out with their car, truck, spyder or motorcycle decked out in pink to celebrate breast cancer awareness. 

Team WHIP (Working to Help Those in Pink) began 2015 as a Valley-West Point breast cancer awareness walk. After Narfunda Ross, the founder, realized the need for support and resources in the community, she decided to make it an annual event. 

Last year, the walk was hosted at the West Point Depot where an estimated 200 survivors and what Ross has coined “co-survivors” came out to show their support. Since 2015, the walk has opened up not just to breast cancer but all cancer survivors and their loved ones. 

In addition to the walk, Team WHIP hosts support group sessions every second Saturday in partnership with Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center in Birmingham. 

Starting at 8:30 a.m. EST, the survivor and co-survivors gather over breakfast food to provide support and advocate for each other’s health. As Ross says, it’s important to be “CEO of your health.”

The walk is a fundraising event, and the proceeds are used to help financially support local diagnoses. The donation is $9 per rider and $5 per walker. 

Those interested in becoming a vendor for the event can reach out to Team WHIP at 334-333-9405.