Janet Diveky
Northern News Services

Yellowknife ( Jun 09/00) - On a rainy Sunday afternoon (June 4) a crowd of walkers and volunteers gathered at the Baker Community Centre with their slickers and umbrellas, to set off on the first Yellowknife CNIB Walk Towards Independence.

The walk is a Canadian National Institute for the Blind initiative to raise funds to help elderly blind and visually impaired people.

Inside the Baker Centre, they handed in over $1,500 in donations to the tellers from Scotiabank who volunteered their time and expertise. Outside, young Alex Kenny, who has been blind from birth, cut the ribbon with the help of Mary Adderly of the Yellowknife Senior's Society. Alex and his stepmom, Heather Hamilton, went out and raised over $500 themselves.

The group set out on the trail to the legislative assembly and back, guided by volunteers from Artisan Press, some of whom had umbrellas to help dodge the raindrops.

Back at the Baker Centre participants were greeted with the delicious smells of a barbecue prepared by volunteers from the Yellowknife Seniors Society and Melissa Fletcher, their summer student.

Karen Marshall of Artisan Press, the walk's major sponsor, told Christina Vernon of CNIB that her staff are determined that next year's walk will be even more successful.