Fun Walk raises money for free clinic

Mick-A-Dee the clown and Emily Westcott direct walkers across the finish line at Saturday’s fifth annual Clinic Fun Walk. 
Photo by Ashley Miller

Nearly 300 people participate in annual event

by ASHLEY MILLER
Staff writer

Dressed in tennis shoes and workout clothes, more than 250 people and at least a dozen pooches participated in the fifth annual Clinic Fun Walk Oct. 4.

Some people walked the one-mile loop around the park while others ran the five-mile route along the Olympic Discovery Trail, but everybody crossed the finish line with a smile on their face. Sequimarimba played live music while members of the Happy Tymer Clown troupe and local artist Karin Anderson entertained children and adults alike with balloons and face painting.

Sponsors raised $21,365 and walk registration fees and a quilt raffle brought in another $2,000. Proceeds benefit the Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic — Sequim’s only free clinic. The Fun Walk also helps raise community awareness about the clinic, which provides primary health care services to more than 900 people each year from a professionally trained and licensed volunteer medical team.

The clinic recently relocated to a larger building in the Sequim Medical Plaza on Fifth Avenue. With more space, new programs are being introduced such as a chronic health care clinic for patients with persistent diseases, extended hours two nights a week and a wellness program.

“Things are happening,” said John Beitzel, clinic board president and master of ceremonies, to an enthusiastic crowd.

Overall, the annual event was a success, Beitzel said. “It went very well. We are grateful for all the people who turned out. My sense is that everybody had fun.”

For more information about the Dungeness Valley Health & Wellness Clinic, go online to www.sequimfreehealthclinic.com.