The National Quartet Convention will again team with popular singer, songwriter, author and talk show host, Janet Paschal (pictured in attached jpg) to present the 3rd Annual NQC Cancer Walk. For the past two years, the event has been held on Saturday; however, this year, the event will move to Thursday, September 15.  “We have been overwhelmed by the tremendous response we have enjoyed over the past two years;” Paschal explains, “however, many Convention attendees, who have to depart the Convention early, haven’t had the opportunity to participate. For this reason, we felt Thursday would be a great option.”

Paschal, a long-time favorite among Southern Gospel audiences nationwide, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005. The North Carolina native took a year hiatus from touring, while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. Since resuming her travels, she has toured nationally and internationally, sharing her message of hope and triumph. In 2008, she released the literary work, Treasures of the Snow, which chronicles her battle with cancer. In 2009, she launched a weekly radio program, which continues to air on JOY FM’s network of radio stations, and in 2010 she began producing the daily Walking The Good Road radio program, which currently airs on 32 stations covering 17 states, as well as Canada.

The 2011 NQC Cancer Walk, which is being sponsored in part by Chick-fil-A and Sparpie Pens, will begin at the main entrance to Freedom Hall at 8:00am on Thursday, September 15. Various Southern Gospel artists, who have been impacted by the disease, will join Paschal for the event to greet participants and share special words of encouragement prior to the start of the Walk. “We are thrilled that Janet Paschal will once again be leading the Cancer Walk at NQC,” states NQC Executive Vice President, Clarke Beasley. “This is the third year for the event, and it is quickly turning into an NQC tradition.”

A $10.00 registration fee is required for Walk participants. The first 300 registrants will recieve a free 2011 NQC Walk t-shirt. Also, participants who register for the Walk on Tuesday, which is Christmas In September Day at the NQC, will receive Janet’s Dove Award nominated Christmas recording. Participants may pre-register throughout NQC Week in the North Wing Lobby of the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center. On-site registration on Thursday morning at the Walk will begin at 7:00am at the entrance to Freedom Hall. The event is open to NQC attendees, as well as the general public. All proceeds from the Walk will benefit the American Cancer Society.

A complete schedule of events scheduled to take place during the 2011 National Quartet Convention may be obtained online at www.nqconline.com