The 37th annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk on the Garden Isle takes place on May 16 at 7 a.m., at the Kauai Historic County Building. Walkers will be taken along a 2.9-mile route through Lihue.

Koloa Landing® is helping to support the race by offering food to the walkers. Aside from food, T-shirts will also be given out to walkers who get a minimum pledge of $35. Participants will be entertained at checkpoints throughout the course by local artists. Walkers will also get a chance to win prizes and more for participating in the fun event.

The Charity Walk is an annual statewide event held in May on Kauai, Oahu, The Big Island, Maui, and Molokai.

With all the great food and fun, the Charity Walk is the only time in Hawaii where you can “actually gain weight by raising money for a great cause,” participants tell local newspaper reporters.

In 2013, nearly 15,000 walkers helped raise more than $1.67 million for local charities across the state. The Charity Walk has become the island’s single largest one-day fundraising event.

The Charity Walk began in 1974 as an event to support one major non­profit in the state. But in 1978, the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association voted to extend the benefits to any Hawaiian charity. Since then, the Charity Walks have brought in more than $24 million that have been distributed to dozens of area non-­profit organizations.

If you would like more information about the Charity Walk, including how to sign up, what the course looks like, or the entertainment lineup, feel free to contact a Koloa Landing® staff member who would be happy to help answer any questions you may have about the event. You can reach us at 808-240-6600.