Exhibiting in High Point this Spring? Then mark your calendars for the Third Annual Hike for Hope—a two-mile walk benefiting the City of Hope, a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases—set for the morning of Saturday, April 5, 2008.

The walk, led by Grand Marshal Jayson Friedman of  Top 100 retailer Carls Furniture, will start and finish at the High Point Market Transportation Terminal and follow a scenic route through High Point’s downtown. According to event chairperson Ellen Gefen, the Hike for Hope is a great opportunity for Market exhibitors to showcase their brand by donning their company T-shirts and walking as a team. Plus, the 7 a.m.-start time gives exhibitors plenty of time to get back to the showrooms for sales meetings and the like.

“This event is a wonderful way to get your company representatives together during Market and focus on a vital cause,” she says. “It can be a great team-building experience, and a chance to learn more about the industry’s work to raise money for City of Hope.”

Last year more than 200 people took part in the Hike and raised more than $20,000 for the work of City of Hope. “City of Hope’s physicians and scientists are committed to their work of rapidly developing novel discoveries from the labs into new treatments for patients battling cancer,” Friedman says. “The home furnishings industry is equally committed and proud to support this effort.”

To register, visit www.cityofhope.org/nhfi/nhfi_hike. The $50 registration fee serves as a donation to City of Hope. Sponsorship packages that include tickets to the reception are also available. The evening of April 5, event sponsors will celebrate the event’s success at a reception celebrating Friedman’s work as Grand Marshal at the String and Splinter Club in High Point.

For more information about City of Hope or Hike for Hope, contact Michael Sandler at 800-272-2310 or at msandler@coh.org.