Find your WALK site by visiting our site map (hydroassoc.org/walk). Search by state or zip code or scroll to see the entire list of sites. Click to the website and follow the prompts to Register or Donate. Once registered you can start or join a team.

There is no registration fee, however, HA encourages all walkers to raise money from family, friends and colleagues. Walkers raising $100 or more will receive the official WALK to End Hydrocephalus T-Shirt. (That’s asking 10 people you know for $10 each!) The money raised with the WALK will be used to fund HA’s support, education and research programs. (The average walker raises $127 or more).

No, but we encourage every participant to support HA and its mission by raising money from family and friends, aiming high when setting their fundraising goals!

No, each WALK participant raises money through flat donations to HA.

Yes, however HA prefers participants register as soon as possible to give them time to raise money and to enable HA volunteers to prepare for the correct number of participants. (See #6 below “Why should I register?”)

There are several reasons why we ask walkers to register electronically prior to the day of the event:

Spreading the word and fundraising. Registered participants automatically receive their own personal WALK to End Hydrocephalus fundraising page. From your personal page, you have the ability to do many amazing things:
Add your story and a photo to highlight why you’re walking.
Email friends and family to support you or copy the hyperlink to your personal fundraising page.
Easily start a Facebook fundraiser that is linked to your page.

Communication. Approximately 7-10 days before the event, HA sends all registered WALK participants important information detailing all the logistics surrounding WALK day.

Planning. The local volunteers work very hard to ensure that everything is in place for a fun and safe day for all. This includes securing donations for food, beverages, supplies, etc.

The committee needs to know as soon as possible how many people will be at the event to ensure that they have enough food, t-shirts, beverages, etc. for everyone.
When WALK participants don’t register or don’t register until the last week, the volunteers have to scramble to ensure there are sufficient quantities of everything. This last minute scramble often requires HA to purchase something that could have been donated. Please don’t think “I’m only one person, one more won’t make a difference.” Unfortunately, hundreds of people think that!

YES! Each year we have a brand new event with new goals so each year we start again! When you register we ask you to use your existing login credentials. If you forgot your log in, please follow the prompts to reset your password.

YES! All WALK participants should register for insurance purposes, to provide approximate attendance numbers and for proper record keeping. If your little ones don’t have their own email and don’t want their own fundraising page, please use the family registration option. (Please see #9 below for family registration.)

If you have young children or elderly family members that do not have email addresses or are not interested in setting up their own fundraising page, this is the best option for you. Follow the steps to register yourself and in the final steps a pop-up window will ask if you would like to register a family member; select to continue. Please note that they will be listed as team members but will not have individual participant pages.

Please contact HA staff at Walk@hydroassoc.org or call (888) 598-3789.

Any participant wishing to casually run the route is welcome to do so. The WALK to End Hydrocephalus is not an official, sanctioned or timed running event. Routes subject to change.

Bicycles, roller blades and scooters are NOT permitted. Motorized mobility scooters and mobility accessories are permitted.

Dogs are permitted at some WALK sites but not all. Where permitted, they must be leashed at all times and the owner must clean up after them. Please contact the local volunteer WALK Chair to obtain the rules/regulations regarding dogs for your site. The contact information is located on the WALK website.

YES! When you fundraise for HA, you show the world that you can make a difference in the lives of those living with hydrocephalus. To thank you for your commitment and hard work, HA offers some great recognition gifts as rewards.

WALK participants who are registered and raise $100 or more receive the WALK to End Hydrocephalus t-shirt as the first part of our recognition gift program. (T-shirts are distributed at the event; sizes are first come first served.) Those raising more than $250 qualify to receive an additional gift. All donations must be received by HA within four weeks post-event to be eligible for a gift.

Recognition gifts — except the T-shirt — are not cumulative. WALK participants have 4 weeks post-event to finish collecting money to be counted toward qualifying for a recognition gift.

Please allow 1-2 weeks after the deadline (5-6 weeks post-event) for your gift redemption code to arrive. Your redemption code will be sent to you via email and you will have 4 weeks from the send date to redeem (it will be sent from Thankyou@hydroassoc.org).

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you don’t receive your redemption code email please check your spam filter! Instructions for redeeming your certificate will be included. After you have redeemed your gift your item will be shipped directly to the address you indicated when you check out.

WALK T-shirts are reserved for registered participants raising at least $100 and attending the event. If a donor would like a shirt, you should encourage them to register and join your team. Team Captains are encouraged to share this information with team members whose donors want a T-shirt so they may be added to the team as WALK participants, raise money and earn a T-shirt!

Of course! You can choose to sign up as a “Virtual Walker” when you register. This means that even though you won’t be attending in person, you’ll still run a fundraising campaign and virtually “walk” to support HA. Please send any money you have collected to:

Hydrocephalus Association, Data Entry Division
9249 South Broadway
Suite 200-845
Highlands Ranch, CO. 80129
Att: WALK ”your local site”.

(All cash should be converted to a check or money order, made payable to the Hydrocephalus Association). Please enclose a note with the WALK participant’s name, the team name (if applicable) and which WALK this money should be attributed to. You may also forward money collected to the local volunteer WALK Chair.

HA WALKS are held rain or shine, so plan accordingly and bring rain gear and umbrellas. Surely we’re not going to let a little water stop us!

The length of the route varies for each WALK site. (Most routes are 5-kilometers or less — which equals 3.1 miles or about a one-hour walk for an average adult.) Participants are not required to complete the full route — only walk as far as feels comfortable for you. WALK to End Hydrocephalus sites are accessible to wheelchairs, strollers, wagons, etc. Please contact your local volunteer WALK Chair for additional information.

We invite you to register for the WALK to End Hydrocephalus’ “Virtual WALK” (see #17 for more information on Virtual WALK and/or participating as a “Virtual Participant.”) Or, if you’re interested in exploring the idea of starting and leading a WALK in your community, please contact HA at walk@hydroassoc.org.

There isn’t just one right way to raise money, but one of the most effective (and easiest) ways to raise money for the WALK to End Hydrocephalus is to launch an email campaign, Facebook fundraiser or letter-writing campaign.

WALK participants who reach out in one of these method typically raise 5 to 10 times more money than participants using other methods. In your Participant Center, you can launch a fundraiser on Facebook that will connect directly toward your fundraising goal totals. In addition we have some pre-written email templates for you to choose from and customize. (Other fundraising tips and ideas are available on the WALK Resources page).

Yes, participants are encouraged to continue to collect donations after the event is over (electronically or with cash/checks.) Please send any post-WALK donations directly to:

Hydrocephalus Association, Data Entry Division
9249 South Broadway
Suite 200-845
Highlands Ranch, CO. 80129
Att: WALK ”your local site”.

(Convert all cash to a check or money order; please do not mail cash!) Please enclose a note with the WALK participant’s name, the team name (if applicable) and which WALK this money should be attributed to. These donations will be added to your personal fundraising total as well as the local WALK’s total.

Donations not appropriately labeled will be added to HA’s general WALK total and will not be eligible for a recognition gift. All donations must be received by HA within four weeks post-event to be eligible for a gift. Participants may also forward additional donations to their local volunteer WALK leader. Although our deadline to receive credit for gifts is 4 weeks after the event day donations are accepted until the end of the year.

Checks should be made payable to Hydrocephalus Association. (see #22 for mailing details.)

Money raised with the WALK to End Hydrocephalus program funds hydrocephalus research as well as HA programs that provide support, education, advocacy and awareness. HA program services include one-on-one support for newly diagnosed families, HA support groups in cities across the US, HydroAssist (mobile app which allows patients to record and store their hydrocephalus treatment history), and much more.

Yes, the Hydrocephalus Association is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt organization. Our tax ID number is 94-3000301. A copy of HA’s IRS determination letter is available from the HA national office. Email walk@hydroassoc.org for more information.

Each WALK to End Hydrocephalus provides refreshments, however what is offered varies by site. Water is always provided and, at a minimum, snack bars, fruit and other snack items are available. Please check with your local volunteer WALK Chair if you want more information. (If you have a medical condition that requires you eat at a specific time we encourage you to bring your own food to ensure your needs are met.)

All WALK to End Hydrocephalus events are totally volunteer initiated and coordinated. Volunteer WALK Chairs are continually seeking volunteers, whether serving on a committee to help organize the event or serving as an event-day volunteer.

Please contact your local WALK Chair through the contact information provided on each local WALK webpage.

For any other questions or concerns, please email walk@hydroassoc.org, your local WALK site (email address is on the website) or call (888) 598-3789 Ext. 111.