PORT ANGELES — Gary Johnson called it.
After spearheading a walkathon that raised $11,000 for prostate cancer research in Port Angeles last summer, the long-time Safeway employee predicted that the event “is going to be so huge next year.”
With the help of some friends and his former employer, Johnson said the interest in this year’s walkathon has “exploded.”
The second annual Port Angeles Walkathon for Prostate Cancer is scheduled for
June 23-24 at the Clallam County Fairgrounds.
It will begin with a survivor’s lap at 2 p.m.
“A lot of people are talking and a lot of people are making donations,” Johnson said.
“This thing has gotten crazy.”
Johnson hasn’t worked at the Safeway store on Lincoln Street since he suffered a mild stroke in November.
He said he is “doing really good” in his recovery, and his energy for the cancer fundraiser is contagious.
Johnson’s high school classmate Martin Shaughnessy, former coworker Doug Bienz and others have rallied behind him to rouse community interest and collect sponsorships.
Local bands have already committed to performing at the fairgrounds during the 18-hour walkathon, which was modeled after the Relay for Life.
This year’s Port Angeles Relay for Life will be June 8-9 at the Clallam County Fairgrounds.
In both events, participants and relay teams collects sponsorships — either a per-lap pledge or a flat donation — and hit the track for an all-day, all-night relay that includes ceremonial candles to honor those who have lost their battles with cancer.
All proceeds from the Port Angeles Walkathon for Prostate Cancer will benefit cancer research through the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Johnson and other walkathon organizers have pledged to volunteer at the Relay for Life to support their sister fundraiser.
Shaughnessy said prostate cancer is “one of these issues that nobody talks about.”
“If aliens or bad guys or serial killers were killing as many people in America, we’d be talking about it every day,” Shaughnessy said.
“But we just don’t. We never bring this one up.”
Shaughnessy said cancer research has made certain forms of cancer survivable in recent years.
He added that Frank Zappa, Bill Bixby, Jerry Orbach and other celebrities have died of prostate cancer.
“If we can get it out there and make people kind of think about it, and raise a little bit of awareness, and raise a lot of money, then good,” Shaughnessy said.
Prostate cancer survivors will pause for a moment of silence at the end of the ceremonial survivors’ lap to remember those who lost their battle with cancer.
“One thing that I wanted to get out, basically to a lot of people, is the idea of the survivors lap,” Johnson said.
Johnson and Shaughnessy were both 1975 graduates of Port Angeles High School.
Shaughnessy said he was inspired by Johnson’s energy and decided to challenge other high school classes, community groups and agencies to friendly fundraising competitions.
“We’re absolutely shameless about this,” Shaughnessy said.
Johnson said of Shaughnessy: “This guy is something else. He put a public posting on Facebook. He’s basically throwing a challenge out there to everybody as far as you can see to be involved in this.”
Safeway, which holds breast and prostate cancer fundraisers every year, will again lend its support to the Port Angeles Walkathon for Prostate Cancer.
Bienz, who works at the Port Angeles Safeway at 110 E. Third St., said local businesses can make a $100 donations to have their logos placed on signs that will hang over the store aisles in the weeks leading up to the walkathon.
The Prostate Cancer Society donated autographed baseballs signed by major league players for Safeway to auction.
Johnson said Bienz is close to filling up all 36 spaces above the aisles with room to spare for more signs at the store.
Mister Sister, a Port Angeles band, will back amateur singers in the walkathon’s first live band karaoke contest.
The first prostate cancer walkathon was organized in seven weeks and held at Port Angeles High School.
Johnson, who worked at Safeway for 32 years before his stoke, said he is thinking about coming back.
“I was supposed to retire in January, but I’m finding it very hard to plug in to retirement yet,” he said.
“The store’s like my second family, and so is this community. It’s really hard to have to walk away from that.”
When asked how much money he hopes to raise for cancer research, Johnson said he simply wants the event to grow.
“Numbers are only numbers,” he said.
“It’s the support we get out of it.”
Johnson’s wife, Dana, is a cancer survivor, and he lost his best friend to cancer when he was 18.
“We want to reach out and just go as far as we can go with this,” he added.
“This is going to be fun. It’s for an important cause, but at the same time we want to have some fun.”
Businesses or individuals who wish to contribute to the Walkathon for Prostate Cancer can pick up a sponsorship agreement from Bienz at Safeway or by phoning Johnson at 360-477-3189.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
