Steps of Hope Walk participants gather for a group photo during an outdoor celebration, highlighting fellowship, family and connection across generations. / IVN Photo By Aldon Stiles

Rancho Cucamonga, CA — Cancer survivors, community organizations, volunteers and families gathered Saturday morning at Central Park in Rancho Cucamonga for the inaugural Steps of Hope 2K/5K Walk, an event organized by My Systagyrl Foundation to raise money for a chemotherapy co-pay fund while promoting mental health and wellness.

The July 11 event combined a community walk with health awareness, vendor booths and volunteer activities, with proceeds benefiting the foundation’s Chemotherapy Cancer Co-Pay Fund.

According to the organization, the fund is intended to help cancer patients offset out-of-pocket costs of chemotherapy treatment while also expanding culturally focused mental health support.

The organization was founded by Tammi Antonia who told Inland Valley News that the walk grew directly from her own experience surviving Stage 3 colon cancer.

“This walk is close to my heart because we are representing cancer patients, mental health and wellness as well,” Antonia said. “I have a project called the chemotherapy co-pay fund, which will entail helping cancer patients with their chemotherapy co-pay when they’re going through treatment.”

She recalled being diagnosed at age 48 while working for Honeywell in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Because routine colon cancer screenings were generally recommended beginning at age 50 at that time, she said her diagnosis came unexpectedly.

During six months of chemotherapy, her coworkers established a credit union account and donated money to help cover her treatment expenses.

“That generosity really meant a lot, and it took a lot of stress off me so I didn’t have to worry about the finance part,” she said.

The experience inspired what eventually became My Systagyrl Foundation.

“I was like, ‘Okay, Lord, why am I still here,’” she said. “I’m going to help cancer patients with their co-pays like my co-workers helped me. And that’s where that started.”

She said the organization’s name and mission were also born out of her faith.

“Everything with My Systagyrl came from God because He gave me the name and the spelling of it,” she said. “Everything that I do, He has given me the vision for it and He is making the provision.”

The walk marked the foundation’s first annual Steps of Hope event.

Antonia estimated that roughly 50 to 75 participants had registered ahead of the event but said she already sees the gathering becoming an annual tradition serving all cancer survivors rather than focusing on a single diagnosis.

She also credited local businesses and organizations that helped launch the event.

“My sponsors, Chick-fil-A is donating the sandwiches,” she said.

She also thanked local water agencies, Heroes Restaurant, Inland Valley News and radiation clinics in the High Desert for contributing food, supplies, educational materials and sponsorships.

Looking ahead, Tammi Antonia said interest from supporters in the High Desert could eventually lead to a second annual walk there.

“I see this being huge,” she said.

Among the community partners volunteering Saturday was the Jam Collective, an organization that grew out of Rialto’s annual Juneteenth Jam celebration.

Founder Vickie Davis said the group’s goal is to ensure community service extends beyond a single annual festival.

“We are born out of the Juneteenth Jam event,” Davis said. “The goal with our team is to make sure that Juneteenth Jam is not just an event that happens on the day, but that we are intentional about supporting our community and building this collective year round all the time.”

The volunteers included Miss Juneteenth pageant contestants, community leaders and event coordinators who helped with setup, registration and the walk itself.

Davis said partnering with My Systagyrl Foundation also creates opportunities for younger generations to learn directly from longtime community leaders.

“It’s really, really important because this is a bridge between generations through this collaboration,” she said. “The contestants get to be mentored by women who have been doing not just events, but pouring love into our community for generations.”

She added that representation matters for young volunteers.

“They need to see those faces actually look like them and that they can see themselves represented in spaces of building together,” Davis said.

For Davis, the event was about more than completing a walk.

“I’m also just excited to see the hand-to-hand connection,” she said. “All the different types of people from the community that are showing up here to support My Systagyrl.”

Participants chose either a 2K or 5K route through the park while forming fundraising teams, competing for team awards and donating to the chemotherapy co-pay fund.

Organizers encouraged churches, businesses, families and community groups to participate, emphasizing that “Every Step Brings Hope.”

The foundation describes its broader mission as providing culturally rooted mental health and wellness programming for women while supporting individuals facing cancer and other life challenges.

Tammi Antonia emphasized the importance of hope, asserting that there is power in it.

“I know what it feels like to need hope,” she said.