A line of flickering red lights slowly snaked down Mount Hood on Saturday night, as 55 skiers and snowboarders carried flares down the slope of Skibowl West. With the floodlights of the ski run cut, only the red glow illuminated the snowy ground. At the end of the run, they staked their still glowing flares into the snow around lighted letters that spelled out HOPE. The torchlight parade is the emotional highlight for the annual , a 24-hour fundraiser to benefit local cancer charities. This year’s event drew 140 participants and raised more than $45,000, with proceeds split between and , both based in McMinnville. Ski & Ride for a Cure was founded in Washington in 2003 by skier David Ludwig. Similar to Relay for Life, the idea was for a 24-hour event where participants skied through the night because “cancer never sleeps. ” Teams and individual skiers collected pledges from friends and family, with the motto of “make your time on the mountain meaningful. ” At its height in the early 2010s, Ski & Ride for the Cure events happened throughout the country, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society. was the first to host the event in Oregon starting in about 2009. But over the years, the number of events decreased, and by 2019, the organization had ended its partnership with the American Cancer Society. The event is still 24 hours, but for safety and logistical reasons, skiers are no longer on the slopes the entire time. For the last two years, Skibowl has hosted the only remaining Ski & Ride for a Cure event, and proceeds have gone to Oregon charities. “As we scaled back, we were able to focus more locally,” said Chris Frickland, president of the board of the directors for Ski & Ride for a Cure. “People really felt like they saw where the money was going, and we actually have the families here. That makes it a lot more powerful and a lot bigger connection to the fundraising that we’re doing. ” That connection was clear during Saturday’s torchlight parade, whose grand marshal was 8-year-old Violet Zimbrick of Grand Ronde. After Violet was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma two years ago, Seeds of Hope provided financial support to the family and gifts for Violet, including surprise visits from Santa and the Easter Bunny. Today, Violet’s mom, Amber Zimbrick, says her daughter has stable scans and is “healthy, active and strong. ” Violet takes swim lessons, is learning piano and – since first getting on the slopes during last year’s Ski & Ride for a Cure – has become a skier. “It was emotional,” Amber Zimbrick said of their first torchlight parade last year. “We came down with all the torches behind us, and it just lit everything up. ” Carmen Banke, executive director of Seeds of Hope, founded the charity after her son , died of bone cancer in 2001 when he was 12 years old. The organization works with families in Yamhill, Polk and Marion counties who are facing a life-threatening medical illness. “We have a committee of about 15 people that meet monthly and figure out how best we can serve families,” Banke said. “Every family is unique. It might be utilities that they need. It might be bunk beds, it might be tires, it might be gas cards and grocery gift cards. ” Seeds of Hope works closely with the Willamette Valley Cancer Foundation, which provides financial assistance to patients currently undergoing cancer treatment. “Our clients demonstrate financial need. They’re upside down in their budget,” said Patty Williams, the foundation’s executive director. “We can customize programs for them. We can pay rent, utilities, gas, grocery cards … anything that gets them hopefully over a hump. ” On Saturday, the doors to the ski lodge were covered in hand decorated messages from those participating in Ski & Ride for a Cure. “I’m snowboarding for my Dad. ” “I’m skiing for Grandpa Edie. ” “I’m snowboarding for Linda. ” “I’m participating for Scotty. ” Not everyone who volunteers skis. Sally Shenk of Willamina has been coming to Ski & Ride for a Cure since 2016. Her oldest daughter, Donna Shenk, happened to be at Skibowl that year when the fundraiser was taking place. The timing was coincidental, but the connection was fate. At the time, Donna’s uncle was being treated for pancreatic cancer, and she snowboarded in his honor. “She came home and she’s like, ‘Mom, Mom, Mom, we’ve got to do this,’” Sally Shenk said. “So, in 2017, we rented three little cabins in Welches, 17 of us crammed into three little cabins, and we came up here. ” Sally’s favorite part is watching the torchlight parade. “It’s chilling,” she said, “just the awesomeness of watching those torches coming down and knowing what they’re representing, and the hope at the end of the run. ” Sally lost her brother-in-law to cancer in 2017, the same year her 9-year-old granddaughter Hayden, Donna’s niece, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. For two years, Hayden served as grand marshal of the torchlight run, escorted on a snowmobile at the head of the procession. “We lost her in 2020, two weeks before Ski & Ride for a Cure,” Sally said. Dozens of members of the extended Shenk family still come to the event every year, and Donna Shenk was so touched by the fundraiser, she joined the board of directors for Ski & Ride for a Cure in 2021. “This means a lot to my husband and I,” Sally said of the event. “Between all the family members and friends that we’ve lost to cancer, this is just a great testament to what kind of family you find when you have that kind of thing going on in your life. ”.