City of Hope's Walk for Hope Held in Irvine: Team Dragon and SABPA Teams Walk to End Cancer
IRVINE, Calif. — City of Hope's annual Walk for Hope charity walk, the Orange County edition, was held on the morning of Sunday, November 8, at the City of Hope Orange County campus in Irvine, Orange County, California. The Chinese-American Team Dragon and a team from SABPA, the Sino-American Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Professionals Association, took part alongside walkers from across the community, following 2K and 5K routes to raise funds for cancer research and patient care.
Walk for Hope is City of Hope's signature annual fundraising event, held under the banner "To end cancer for all." According to City of Hope, the event has raised nearly $50 million since it began in 1997 to accelerate cancer research and innovative treatments. This year the Orange County and Los Angeles walks were both held on November 8. The Orange County site, at City of Hope Orange County, 1000 FivePoint in Irvine, opened at 8 a.m., with the walk stepping off at 9:30 a.m. Entry was free, with donations voluntary; more than 2,700 people had registered for the Orange County event, according to the organizer.
The opening ceremony took place on the main stage on the campus, flanked by Walk for Hope banners, as teams gathered below. Many participants walked in costume, with butterfly wings, a dragon head and horned headpieces turning the cancer walk into something of a carnival.
Team Dragon members, all in matching blue shirts, gathered first for a group photo in front of the event backdrop. The backs of the shirts read "TEAM DRAGON WALK FOR HOPE 2026" and note that the team is presented by ALC (American Lending Center) and Sunstone. Captained by John Shen and based in Orange County, Team Dragon rallies the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to support cancer research and patient care, welcoming adults and children alike. The team kept its own tent at the venue, where members and supporters posed under the ALC/SUNSTONE canopy.
SABPA's Orange County/Los Angeles chapter also fielded a team, posing for a group photo in front of the main stage. Founded in San Diego in 2002, SABPA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association; its OC/LA chapter, established in 2005, counts more than 4,000 members and subscribers and is one of the leading Chinese-American professional groups in Southern California's biomedical community. Its annual biomedical forum is held in Irvine.
After the start, walkers streamed along the roads around the campus, Team Dragon's blue shirts standing out in the crowd. The walk went ahead under clear skies, with teams completing their chosen routes through the morning. City of Hope says funds raised by the event support cancer research and innovative treatments, as well as care for patients and their families.
SABPA OC/LA Team to Join Tomorrow's Walk for Hope Charity Walk in Irvine
Team Dragon Returns for Walk for Hope: Free 2K and 5K Charity Walk in Irvine on Nov. 8
Source: City of Hope
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 华人龙之队队员在 Walk for Hope 活动背景板前合影。照片来源：GSM 现场拍摄。 / Team Dragon members pose in front of the Walk for Hope backdrop. Source: GSM on-site photo.
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