Steppin’ Out in Pink steps into Riverside Park this fall

An early fall tradition in La Crosse is moving to a new location.

The 17th annual Steppin’ Out in Pink walk will be in the Riverside Park area this September.

The walk to raise money for breast cancer research has been held in the past around the main Gundersen Health System buildings on South Avenue. Tia Sneath from the Gundersen Medical Foundation said during a news conference Wednesday announcing the new location that the park setting will be an improvement in some ways.

“The path that we had before served us very well for the time being,” Sneath said. “We saw a lot of construction going on in the neighborhood, so we’re really excited to create a safe space for our walkers and survivors and all that come down to participate.”

A long-time Steppin’ Out walker who’s also a cancer survivor is Gundersen employee Connie Schroeder. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, and feels fortunate to have had treatment at the hospital where she works.

“Being cared for by those that I worked with, it felt very much like family,” Schroeder said. “I was cared for with the most, highest expertise there was.”

As many as 6,000 have taken part in a single Steppin’ Out walk. This year’s fundraiser is scheduled for Sept. 10, with early registration beginning April 25.

More information is available online here.