Annual memorial walk to benefit Andrea Rizzo Foundation

Members of the Salve Regina community are invited to participate in the Andrea Rizzo Foundation’s 13th annual Walk for the Children “Cliff Walkathon,” scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 17.

The event, which benefits children with cancer and special needs through Drea’s Dream pediatric dance therapy programming, will pay tribute to Andrea Rizzo ’00, a Salve Regina graduate killed by a drunk driver in 2002.

The event will begin at 2 p.m. at the Rodgers Recreation Center. Following the kickoff, participants will begin the two-mile walk, which traverses a scenic section of the Cliff Walk, passing Ochre Court, McAuley Hall and the Breakers.

The Cliff Walkathon will also feature raffles, an activity booth for children, refreshments and performances by Kinetic Synergy Dance Company, Gladding School of Dance, Rosemary’s School of Dance Education, Dance Expressions and other local companies.

Rizzo was a childhood cancer survivor who received a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from Salve Regina and was a graduate student at New York University at the time of her death. A second-grade special education teacher, Rizzo’s dream was to combine her love of teaching and dance to become a dance therapist for children with cancer and special needs.

For more information, or to participate in the walk, email dreasdream@aol.com or visit the foundation’s website.