In early November, a stroll through the biting cold may not sound very appealing, but the sisters of Delta Zeta sorority hope a sense of compassion will overcome the cold for participants of Melissa's Walk.
Melissa's Walk, an event to honor the life of Delta Zeta sister Melissa Steckler, is an annual fundraiser benefiting the Riley Children's Hospital Burn Unit. Last year's event raised more than $3,000 for Riley, where Steckler spent the last three months of her life, Delta Zeta President Jessica Holt said. Steckler was severely burned in a grilling accident that seriously injured her esophagus. This is the sixth time the walk is being held since Steckler's death in 2001.
"Riley's is a place that touches a lot of lives in the area," Holt said.
The walk will take place Saturday, starting at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center, Kate Vonderheide, Delta Zeta philanthropy officer said. Registration for the walk will begin at 1 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Student Center, and will cost $5.
"The walk is three miles long." Vonderheide said. "We will be heading down University Avenue and making our way around campus to end up back at the Student Center."
At the end of the walk, all participants are invited to join the sisters of Delta Zeta in a moment of silence around a tree planted in Steckler's memory. The tree, located in the front yard of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity house, was planted when Steckler's older brother was a member. Each year the Steckler family joins the walk and shares stories of its daughter during the ending ceremony, Holt said.
"It's a great way to support Rileys, while remembering our sister," Vonderheide said.
The Riley Hospital for Children opened in 1924 with support from the Riley Memorial Foundation. It is in remembrance of Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley, according to the hospital Web site. Riley is the only children's hospital in Indiana with specialists in every field of medicine and surgery, the Web site said. Riley's Burn Unit was founded in 1971 and is the first and only pediatric burn unit in Indiana. Riley has also been ranked as one of America's best children's hospitals by Child Magazine, according to the Web site.
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