From staff reports:

For the second year, Federal Way resident Yvonne Paschke will honor her first-grade teacher, who died of brain cancer.

Paschke, 40, attended Monroe Elementary School in Everett. Paschke suffered from epilepsy, and first-grade teacher Elizabeth Chowen was the one of the few teachers who treated her normal, she said.

“She always checked up on me,” Paschke said. “She was very special in my life.”

When Chowen died of brain cancer last year, Paschke decided to get involved with the inaugural Seattle Brain Cancer Walk. That event generated nearly $120,000 for the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute. As a team captain, Paschke walked 5 kilometers and raised close to $500.

This year, Paschke seeks donations as well as fellow walkers.

“The walk definitely helped me feel really good about doing something so positive for someone who was a positive influence in my life,” she said.

To donate toward Paschke’s team, e-mail pry1969@gmail.com or call (206) 372-8774.

Learn more

The second annual Seattle Brain Cancer Walk is dedicated to providing hope and creating community for those in the Pacific Northwest who face brain cancer. Each year, 22,000 Americans are diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, according to the event organizers. All proceeds support the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute.

The event will take place 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 30 at Mercer Island High School’s track, 9100 SE 42nd St., Mercer Island. To learn more, visit www.braincancerwalk.org. The event will include games and prizes for kids, face painting, a balloon artist, live music, education about brain cancer support services and research as well as awards for the largest team and top fundraisers.