REHOBOTH BEACH –– An ever-growing population in Delaware –– cancer survivors –– benefit from the assistance of the Bayhealth Survivorship Program, which is about to host its annual fundraiser on July 31.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Runway of Hope, a fundraiser at Rehoboth Beach Country Club, will exclusively benefit the program.

The sons of Dover lawyer John Paradee took part in last year's Runway of Hope in Rehoboth Beach. (Submitted photo)

The Survivorship Program provides individualized support after patients clear treatment by pairing them with a nurse navigator who coordinates doctors’ visits, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pain management and cancer screenings.

Runway of Hope has sold out in past years and raised in excess of $50,000 at the 2014 event to fund the Program’s services.

“It started off very small, but has continuously grown as word has gotten out and it’s become an event that people now look forward to every year,” said Shalini Sawhney, the five-year co-chair of the event.

The day starts off at 11 a.m. with a silent auction featuring donated goods and services from all over Kent and Sussex counties. Attendees can also snack on hors d’oeuvres while browsing the selection of goods.

Items for bid this year include a Community Supported Agriculture box subscription of local items include produce, jams, cider and even soap from Fifer Orchards and an “All About Rehoboth” package, including gift cards to restaurants, hotels and shops, a night with a personal chef, brewery tours, designer bags and more.

Bidding isn’t limited to the event itself, the silent auction is using the BidPal app which will open on July 24, allowing attendees and even those who can’t attend to start bidding before the event.

“This will be a good tool for people who aren’t able to attend the event to still participate and we hope to already have some good bidding wars going on before the event even starts,” said Susan Chinnici, a member of the board of directors of the Bayhealth Cancer Institute.

The silent auction is followed by a luncheon concluded with a fashion show featuring looks from local boutiques like Aquamarine, Cleo’s, Jane & Georgie, Bel Boutique and Rock Creek.

Those strutting down the catwalk are professional models from Reinhart Agency of Philadelphia but some familiar faces will wrap up the show as physicians, executives and their families grace the runway as the finale.

“I think that it adds a bit more of a personal touch to have some local ‘models’ so people can see their doctors and people they’ve worked with out there having fun,” Ms. Chinnici said.

Tickets are $100 and include lunch, admission to the fashion show and the silent auction, and a gift bag.

“We do everything we can to get people involved,” Ms. Sawhney said. “People know about Bayhealth and that the Survivorship Program is a great cause to support.”

To register for Runway of Hope or find out more about BidPal, call 302-744-7015 or register online at www.bayhealthfoundation.org.

Find out more about the Bayhealth Cancer Institute and the Survivorship Program by calling 302-744-7994 (Kent General), 302-430-5073 (Milford Memorial) or visit www.bayhealth.org/cancer.