NOBLESVILLE — After losing both of his parents to cancer and finding out his wife had breast cancer five years ago, Ron Wilson wanted “to do something to help the folks here in Hamilton County who are facing the same issues we did.”

Wilson, 64, Noblesville, is organizer of Cancer Service of Hamilton County’s Walk for Hope. It’s noon to 2 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of Northview Christian Life Church, 5525 E. 131st St., Carmel.

“We know we’ll have more taking part in the 1K family and 5K walk this year than we had last year, but we still don’t have an official head count, as of this morning,” Wilson said today.

Wilson organized the first Walk for Hope last year. “”Our goal is to be able to continue hosting this event in the future so we’ll be able to continue our mission: helping individuals and families in their fight against cancer.”

“I had heard about the Cancer Service of Hamilton County, and how 98 percent of money earned goes to patient care, and I wanted to get involved.”

“It’s a good group. They do good work,” his wife Sharon Wilson, 63, said. She’s on the group’s board of directors with her husband.

The Cancer Service of Hamilton County is a self-funded group. A poinsettia sale at Christmas and a golf outing in the summer are other fundraisers, she said.

“We’re all volunteers. Our only expenses are postage and printing, she said.

The organization pays out about $2,000 monthly to help patients with cancer, to buy medicine for patients who don’t have insurance and to patients who need help with co-pays. Patients must live in the county.

“We work with lots and lots of cancer patients,” said Sharon Wilson, a nurse at Riverview Hospital.

Saturday’s event is $30 a person. Children walk for free. Participants still may sign up by downloading an application at www.hamiltoncountyveterans.com

She said a lot of their money comes from donations from organizations that host fundraisers.

Any individual, company, church group or service club wanting to make a donation may make their check payable to Cancer Service of Hamilton County, and mail to P.O. Box 221, Noblesville, IN 46061, c/o Janet Roberts.

For information, call (317) 776-1519.