Spirit of Richard Martinez Lives on Through Annual Journey of Hope Walk

COUNCIL BLUFFS - There’s a buddy bench inside James B. Rue Elementary School that’s inscribed with the phrase, “Hello, my friend.” It’s the way Richard Martinez greeted each student he came across during the school day, a small but powerful way of helping them feel welcome and valued.

Martinez passed away in 2015 from prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. Lupe Martinez, his older sister, house mate and care partner, said he would have loved sitting on that bench and chatting with whoever needed a kind word. He’d also be honored by the teachers who continue to walk in his memory at the annual Journey of Hope Walk hosted by Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center.

The 2022 walk, set for Saturday, Oct. 1, will be held at Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park in Council Bluffs at 8:00am. The event will include food, music by DJ Miguel Chavez, raffles and more. Walkers can choose from 3-mile or one-mile routes. The cost, which includes a 2022 Walk with Wings T-shirt, is $30 for adults and $15 for kids 12 and under. All funds raised help serve cancer patients and their care partners in the Council Bluffs metro and throughout southwest Iowa.

“Richard loved working with kids,” Lupe said. Before becoming a paraprofessional at Rue, he worked in childcare at the Christ Child Center, the Chicano Awareness Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha Child Care Center, all in Omaha.

The Martinez family grew up in Omaha’s Little Italy where Richard was a member of the Sons of Italy. A devout Catholic who once considered becoming a priest, his favorite saint was Santa Lucia, and his dream was to see his niece run for queen of the neighborhood’s annual Santa Lucia Festival. The honor, first bestowed in 1929 during the Omaha festival’s fifth year, is open to girls ages 14 to 21 who have been baptized in the Catholic faith. Today, the competition is based on academics, community service and raffle ticket sales. At the time, Lupe said, Richard’s niece was too young to enter, but the festival committee allowed her to run as a princess so Richard could see his dream fulfilled before he died.

The family’s connection to Wings of Hope was made in a local oncologist’s office. One afternoon, as Lupe sat waiting for Richard’s appointment to conclude, she noticed a Wings of Hope informational flier on a table. “I remember taking it, folding it and putting it in my purse to look at later,” she said.

Her initial call to Wings of Hope was the first of many for the sister and care partner. “It was easy talking to Carolyn,” Lupe said of Carolyn Ettinger, Wings of Hope’s executive director and the organization’s licensed mental health practitioner. “I could go there and cry or get advice on what I should be asking the doctors. When I could see that Rich was starting to have a hard time getting out of bed, she even helped get me a hospital bed and set it up.”

One afternoon after Richard passed away, Lupe was at home thinking about her brother and a way for him to be remembered. Thankful for the support she received from Wings of Hope during an incredibly difficult time in her life, she approached Ettinger and asked about honoring Richard’s memory during the organization’s fall walk, which already existed.

It was a natural partnership.

Since that time, the walk has grown, and Lupe’s family takes an active role in planning and executing it. In addition to remembering Richard and others lost to cancer, the walk allows Wings of Hope to highlight the needs of those touched by cancer and honor the many who are coping with cancer at present. Participants can personalize their T-shirt by writing the name or names of those they’re walking for on the back with markers supplied at the start of the race.

It's always held as close to Sept. 28 – Richard’s birthday – as possible.

“We can’t thank Lupe and her family enough for helping us make our Journey of Hope Walk a success,” Ettinger said. “The funds we raise will be used to help those on the cancer journey get the emotional and practical support they need and deserve.”

To register for the walk or for more information, call 712.325.8970 or visit www.wingsofhope.org/walk. For more information about Wings of Hope programs and services, visit www.wingsofhope.org/programs-services.