Kathy Wiz’s Excellent Idea
The inspiration behind the Sunday morning Broadwalk on the Boardwalk, an integral part of Women’s FEST, and the person responsible for naming the event, is former CAMP Rehoboth Board Member Kathy Wiz. She’s also responsible for helping to steer the event to spectacular success for its first dozen years.
“So how did this all come together?” I asked Kathy one afternoon as we talked about the 2024 FEST and its Broadwalk.
“It was back in 2005, and my sister had had breast cancer. I thought about the AIDS walk and how mostly men came together to honor people lost to the disease.” Kathy said, telling me how she originally wanted to organize a walk in October for recognition of Breast Cancer month.
She was referred to CAMP Rehoboth as a potential partner and someone suggested holding the walk in concert with the 2011 Women’s FEST. But what should the event be called? Kathy formed a committee with volunteers Kathy Davison, Joanne Kempton, Jenn Harpel, Muriel Hogan (Kathy’s wife), and others. They settled on Sunday morning for the walk, but a name? Elusive.
“After playing around with the word boardwalk, I joked it should be a broadwalk and a tradition was born,” says Kathy.
Kathy credits Joanne Kempton with being especially influential in the planning because even though the walk would happen during the CAMP Rehoboth Women’s FEST, Joanne insisted that any proceeds should go to the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition (DBCC).
All agreed, and invited Connie Holdridge, a director at DBCC, to the next meeting. The volunteers also agreed that they wanted the event to be more than just a walk, so Joanne invited DJ Sharon Messina to provide music in the CAMP courtyard as participants gathered. Sharon immediately volunteered, as did Lori Kline of Lori’s Café, offering complimentary coffee on Broadwalk morning.
The group also suggested that walkers wear pink feather boas, for blending a serious message with a fun time.
For that first Broadwalk morning gathering, 40 or 50 people showed up, wearing breast cancer signature pink, including a sprinkling of charmingly costumed men. There were a number of dogs wearing pink boas and adorable costumes as well.
The group walked to honor those lost to breast cancer and also to honor survivors, with the broads and boyfriends receiving certificates for participation.
By 2012, the walk started with some guys holding a placard reading “Boys for Broads” amid a crowd of women, men, and pets that was much larger than the inaugural year.
In its second year the Broadwalk added a solemn ceremony on the beach, with the crowd forming a circle on the sand at the end of the walk. Kathy spoke, reading a spiritual message; it was an emotional ending to the event.
Smiling at the memory, Kathy recalls, “We wanted to release doves, but we found out it was hawk mating season—making that a really bad idea.”
Over the next decade, the circle morphed into a heart and the event evolved from strictly breast cancer support to remembering victims of all cancers and supporting all survivors.
Through the years, photographers Geri DeBiase and Susan Fortier documented the growing crowds and photos by individuals captured both the solemnity and the celebration of the now traditional event. DJ Sharon and Lori Kline remained loyal sponsors and realtor Karen Gustafson became a presenting sponsor. The Broadwalk attracted hundreds of people and their pets each year, walking to illustrate the Broadwalk’s slogan: Remember the Victims, Support the Survivors.
In 2015, a note on the Boardwalk Facebook page saw Connie Holdridge, of DBCC commenting, “Kathy Wiz had a vision. She wanted to do something special for breast cancer survivors to make a difference. Her vision was a walk to benefit Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition without any fees so that everyone could share, walk, and enjoy.”
And they certainly did.
In 2017, just after CAMP Rehoboth Co-Founder Steve Elkins passed away from lymphoma, a large contingent of people marched honoring Steve along with the hundreds of other honorees. It was a very emotional time for many.
As Kathy recalls, over the years there were weather challenges, but only 2018 had to be held indoors in the CAMP Rehoboth atrium. And they canceled the official walk in 2020 during lockdown for the COVID pandemic, suggesting instead that people take the walk individually. Kathy and Muriel did hold forth, masked up, in the CAMP Courtyard, to take donations.
Realizing that they wanted to attract a more diverse crowd, Kathy and the committee had flyers and posters made in Spanish as well as English and encouraged a wider distribution throughout Sussex County.
Kathy’s last Broadwalk as a leader was 2021, with the event continuing on as Kathy’s enduring legacy to CAMP Rehoboth and DBCC. By 2021 the event had raised over $80,000 in donations for DBCC.
“I’m really thrilled that it’s become such an important part of Women’s FEST,” Kathy says, “and there are too many people to thank for their efforts over the years, but it’s been amazing.”
Kathy loves to call the Broadwalk a fun event for a serious cause. “We had the boas because you can’t take yourself too seriously if you are wearing a pink feather boa.”
For 2024, The Broardwalk will take place on Sunday, April 28.
Kathy and her wife Muriel will be walking in the Broadwalk this year as they always do. Find them and say hello—and thanks. ▼
Fay Jacobs is the author most recently of Big Girls Don’t Fry, to be released April 23. She tours with her one-woman sit-down comedy show, Aging Gracelessly.
Photos L-R (top row): Kathy Wiz, Muriel Hogan, Eric Engelhart, Bob Hoffer, David Wade, Chris Beagle, Max Dick. Second row: Muriel Hogan, Kathy Wiz, Connie Holdridge, Kathy Davison, Steve Elkins.