The cold, cloudy weather may have kept some people from walking in yesterday's Pride Stride, but it certainly didn't keep them from contributing to their favorite local causes.
Organizers said that while the number of walkers was down this year, donations were up by more than $4,000 over what was raised last year.
"It went fantastic," said Dani Stotzer, one of the event organizers. "I'm very pleased the rain held off."
Dennis Acker, president of Pride Stride, said he had been worried about the weather at the beginning of the event.
"It started out kind of quiet," he said.
But his fears were calmed when he saw that the estimated 300 walkers who participated had raised a total of $45,000 for various charities in the area. And even more money is expected to come in through the mail over the next couple of weeks, Acker said.
The Pride Stride, a 5-mile walk-a-thon held every spring for the past 21 years, raises money for charities such as vernal pool conservation, food for the needy and medical help for a sick little girl. The biggest money-maker was Cape Ann Animal Aid, which raised $14,054, of which $5,000 was raised by just one person — Joan Chabot.
Walkers get to pick their own favorite charities, sometimes changing their minds from year to year, and sometimes sticking with the same organization for several years in a row.
Elise Hansen has walked for other charities, but this year picked Action Inc., recruiting her sister, Erika, to join her in the cause.
Hansen said she liked seeing her neighbors at the event.
"You see people you know and you realize we're all linked in different ways," she said.
The Hansens, as longtime walkers and active members of the community, weren't bothered by the weather, which threatened rain early in the day and ushered in chilly breezes along the water. In fact, Erika Hansen said she preferred the weather a little on the cool side.
"It was perfect," she said. "It was great walking weather."
The clouds weren't going to scare away Julie LaFontaine either. As the executive director of the food pantry, she felt it was important to walk for her own organization. But she had another reason: She had started a new fitness program in February, and wanted to know if all the hard work had paid off. She wanted to know if she could complete the full five miles of the Pride Stride.
"It was a personal goal for me to participate," she said. "I was making it a power walk. I was doing it to push myself."
Once she finished, she was proud of her accomplishment, though she admitted needing a little inspiration to get up the last hill to Stage Fort Park, where the walk both began and ended. To get through it, she and other walkers around her talked, swapping chocolate cake recipes.
"I was at the top before I knew it," she said.
While adult walkers reported being a little tired at the end, the youngest participants seemed to have no trouble at all with the 5-mile trek.
Dennis Acker's wife, Charlene, walked with their 6-year-old daughter, Maya, to benefit St. Ann's School. She reported that the tyke did the whole thing by herself, sometimes running ahead of the adults. And she still had energy to spare — after downing a hamburger and a hot dog, the little girl happily played on the inflatable jumping room set up at the park.
Her weary mother just laughed and shook her head as she watched Maya running around with her friends.
"I just want a warm coffee and a shower," she said.
Teenagers also seemed to find the walk easy. The Wilcox siblings, 17-year-old Shalayna, 15-year-old Ranika and 14-year-old Cameron, said it wasn't much different from their usual walk from their home in West Gloucester to their jobs at Shaw's Supermarket downtown.
"We're used to the walk," Shalayna Wilcox said.
The sisters and their brother walked for the food pantry, raising $1,500, along with a fourth walker from the grocery store.
After the walk, all three still had enough energy to work as volunteers, helping their boss from Shaw's and others with the food pantry who were busy feeding the walkers. Bananas, hamburgers and cups of chowder were handed out to the crowd, which swelled to an estimated 600 people at Stage Fort Park.
As she helped the volunteers clean up afterward, Ranika Wilcox said she enjoyed participating in the walk so much, she plans to do it again next year.
"Oh, yeah, definitely," she said. "It was fun."
Biggest fund-raisers of Pride Stride 2008
1. Cape Ann Animal Aid, $14,054
2. Open Door Food Pantry, $3,667
3. Cape Ann Youth Hockey, $2,990
4. J.J. Nicastro Foundation, $2,917
By the numbers
Total raised last year: $41,161
Total raised this year: $45,000 and counting
Number of non-profit groups represented: 51
Number of walkers participating: Approximately 300
Amount of money raised that goes to charities: 90 percent
Number of pizzas ordered from Domino's: 50
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