Walking to defeat ALS in Okeeheelee Park

My third time was truly a charm at the Walk to Defeat ALS in Palm Beach County.

Walk Committee Chairwoman Dorothy Bradshaw, whose Daddy died from ALS complications, rallied the forces and raised a boatload of money while creating a fun-filled family day on Saturday, March 21 at Okeeheelee Park.

The SpenWen team was there in memory of Susan Spencer-Wendel. She was a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and courts reporter for the Palm Beach Post. Susan died on June 4, when she was just 47.

The day was full of emotional moments, with remembrances in the form of shoes and signs for those who died from this horrible disease. Inspiration was there, too. Family and friends gathered to honor the legacy of a loved one.

Before The Walk

The day began with the Maureen Corps doing an Irish Stepdancing performance to honor their dance teacher, Maureen Drake, who died 4 years ago from ALS complications. I loved their T-shirts:

Walking to Street Painting Festival in Lake Worth

My friends wanted to sell bottled water to benefit ALS at the Lake Worth Street Painting Festival and I wanted to help them. I love that festival, live in Lake Worth and plan to participate in 2015 Walk to Defeat ALS.

Just last June, we lost our mutual friend, Susan Spencer-Wendel, to that awful disease, She wasn't even 50, but she packed a whole lot of living into her 47 years. She was a wife, mother of three, sister, daughter, best-selling writer and a courts reporter for The Palm Beach Post.

We gathered in front of the @The-Hair.Net salon, owned by Kerri Olah-Brennan who was Susan's hairdresser and is a SpenWen Team co-captain along with me and Susan's sister Stephanie Harwood-Parlamento; Kerri's wife, Pamela Olah-Brennan, who is on the 2015 Walk to Defeat ALS committee with Kerri and me; Bridget Hammond, owner of In-Nae Tae Kwon Do studio in Lake Clarke Shores and a SpenWen Team member; and several others who were selling costume jewelry, raffle tickets for a baby doll and hand-made bracelets. We raised more than $1,500 during the festival.

Kerri Olah-Brennan (left) and her wife Pam sell $2 bottled water
for the ALS Walk.