On August 27, we’re honoring the 30th anniversary of the CHOC Walk with a celebration like you’ve never seen before. After three decades of walking for kids, we have something extra magical planned this year: CHOC Adventure in the Park Presented by the Disneyland® Resort.
Rather than a traditional walk, Disney California Adventure Park will be open from 9 p.m. to midnight for a private party exclusively for CHOC Walk participants.
For Suki Carter, the evening will be especially meaningful. Her late husband, Peter, co-founded the CHOC Walk in 1990 and Suki’s taken part from the beginning. A driving force behind its success, she has served on the Walk Committee for the past 29 years.
“When it started,” she says, “there was no way we could ever have imagined where it is today. So I couldn’t be prouder.”
Suki has also been a member of our Lamp Lighter Guild for over 40 years. The Guild hosts fundraising events to support our work—in addition to helping to organize the CHOC Walk. She remembers, “I had two healthy children and knew there were a lot of people who didn’t. I thought maybe this was something I could do.”
Over the years, Suki explains, “I’ve met a lot of people I never would have met whom I consider very good friends. There’s a real sense of family. I feel privileged to be able to spend my time helping CHOC. I’ve gotten more out of it than I’ve put in.
“I’ve watched CHOC go from a little neighborhood hospital into a nationally known major hospital. That’s pretty gratifying. Can you think of any place better to put your fundraising efforts than for sick children? What a legacy!”
Suki stresses how critical it is to support CHOC because “we don’t ever want to turn a child away if their parents can’t pay. It’s important to keep that going. Orange County is lucky to have a children’s hospital like CHOC.”
As you can tell, at CHOC we’re lucky to have a generous, caring friend like Suki!
This story appeared in the July 2022 print issue of the CHOC Chronicle newsletter.
Learn more about CHOC Walk in the Park,
