Every year, a single Saturday in September transforms Miami into a community united by one goal: ending childhood cancer. Families, friends, coworkers, and neighbors lace up their shoes and step forward together. They walk not just for a cause but for real children who wake up every day facing one of the hardest battles of their young lives.
On September 26, 2026, that Saturday arrives again. This is your invitation to be part of it.
This guide covers everything you need to know about the 2026 event in Miami, from event details and registration steps to fundraising tips and the profound mission your participation supports.
Event Details at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Event Name | St. Jude Walk Miami 2026 |
| Date | Saturday, September 26, 2026 |
| Venue | Miami Dade County Fair and Expo Center |
| Address | 10901 SW 24th Street, Miami, FL 33165 |
| Event Type | 5K fundraiser walk, in-person and virtual |
| Fundraising Goal | $650,000 |
| Month | Childhood Cancer Awareness Month |
| Registration | fundraising.stjude.org |
| Local Contact | Maria Ruiz de Luque, 786.422.4774 |
The event is open to individuals, families, corporate teams, and community groups. Whether you choose to walk the full route in person or participate virtually from wherever you are, every step counts.
The Mission Behind Every Step
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened its doors in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 4, 1962. Entertainer and philanthropist Danny Thomas founded it on a simple but powerful belief: no child should die in the dawn of life. At that time, childhood cancer had a survival rate of just 20 percent in the United States. Today, that number has risen to more than 80 percent. That progress did not happen by accident. It was driven by decades of research, clinical innovation, and the generosity of millions of donors.
St. Jude makes a promise that sets it apart from virtually every other hospital in the world. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food. Parents can focus entirely on helping their child live, without worrying about how to pay for chemotherapy, a place to sleep, or a meal. This promise exists only because supporters choose to show up, donate, and walk.
The hospital treats more than 9,000 patients a year and leads more clinical trials for pediatric cancer than any other children’s hospital in the United States. It freely shares every breakthrough with medical communities around the world, meaning a discovery made in Memphis can save a child’s life in Miami, Nairobi, or Manila.
For every dollar donated to St. Jude, 82 cents goes directly toward research, treatment, and the future needs of patients and their families. That figure has remained consistent for more than seven years and speaks to how seriously the organization takes the trust of its donors.
Why Miami in September
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month across the United States. Communities in every major city come together during this month to raise money, raise awareness, and remind one another that childhood cancer is not just a medical problem. It is a human one.
Miami has a strong and growing history of participation in this nationwide event. The Miami Dade County Fair and Expo Center provides a spacious, accessible, and community-friendly setting for families and supporters of all ages. The event is family-oriented, welcoming children of all ages alongside parents, grandparents, coworkers, and neighbors.
The 2026 event carries a fundraising goal of $650,000. Local teams such as S.H.E. Gives Back, Miami Supreme and Supreme Twins Foundation, and Maria’s Angels are already leading the charge. Corporate sponsors and community organizations play a major role in reaching that goal, and the momentum builds with every new registration.
How to Register: Step by Step
Getting registered for the event takes just a few minutes. Here is exactly how to do it.
| Step | Action |
| Step 1 | Visit fundraising.stjude.org and find the Miami event |
| Step 2 | Choose your participation type: individual, team member, or team captain |
| Step 3 | Decide whether you will attend in person or participate virtually |
| Step 4 | Complete your registration form with your contact details |
| Step 5 | Download the St. Jude Walk mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play |
| Step 6 | Personalize your fundraising page with a photo and personal message |
| Step 7 | Share your page with friends and family to start collecting donations |
Registration is free. There is no entry fee to join the walk. The fundraising you do afterward is what makes the real difference.
Once registered, the St. Jude Walk mobile app becomes your most important tool. You use it to send texts and emails requesting donations, track your fundraising progress, access exclusive St. Jude content, and stay connected with your team throughout the lead-up to the event.
Choosing Your Participation Type
One of the strengths of this event is its flexibility. You do not need to fit a single mold to participate. There are three main ways to take part.
Joining as an individual means you participate on your own terms. You set your own fundraising goal and collect donations through your personal page. It is a great option if you want to engage your own network without coordinating a larger group.
Joining an existing team means you connect with a group that has already formed around a shared cause, a company, a school, a neighborhood, or a personal connection to St. Jude. Team pages pool individual fundraising totals, which creates momentum and healthy friendly competition.
Forming a new team means you become a captain. You invite friends, family, or colleagues to join your team and support your collective goal. Team captains receive special support tools to help recruit members and manage team fundraising.
For those who cannot attend in person on September 26, the virtual option allows you to walk, run, or move however you choose from your own neighborhood, gym, or home. You still register, still fundraise, and still contribute to the same Miami total. Virtual participants are part of the same community and the same cause.
Fundraising Tips That Actually Work
Fundraising can feel intimidating at first. However, most people find it much easier than they expected once they start. Here are practical strategies that consistently work for St. Jude Walk participants.
- Personalize your fundraising page. Participants who add a photo and a personal message explaining why they are walking raise on average seven times more than those who leave their page blank. Tell your story. It matters.
- Ask early and ask directly. Send a personal message to five to ten people in your network within the first 48 hours of registering. A direct, personal ask performs far better than a general social media post.
- Follow up. Many donors mean to give but forget. A friendly second message a week before the event is completely appropriate and often results in several additional donations.
- Use the mobile app. It makes sending donation requests via text and email quick and easy, and it tracks all your progress in one place.
- Set a clear goal. Fundraising pages with a specific dollar target tend to attract more donations because visitors can see exactly what they are contributing toward.
- Share your page on social media in the days leading up to September 26. A post with a photo, a personal reason for walking, and a direct link to your page tends to generate strong engagement.
- Ask your employer about matching gifts. Many companies match employee donations to qualifying nonprofits like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which can instantly double the impact of every dollar you raise.
Rewards for Fundraisers
St. Jude recognizes the effort participants put into fundraising with exclusive gear and rewards at various levels. As you hit fundraising milestones, you earn official St. Jude Walk swag, including apparel and accessories. These rewards are not just tokens. They are visible symbols of your commitment that you can wear with pride on walk day and beyond.
The exact reward tiers and items are revealed to registered participants through the app and fundraising platform. Therefore, registering early gives you more time to reach higher milestones before the event date.
Corporate and Group Participation
The St. Jude Walk Miami is one of the most powerful corporate team-building experiences available in South Florida during September. Companies of all sizes form teams and often turn participation into a company-wide initiative, combining donation drives, internal fundraising competitions, and team walks on the day.
Participants seeking to organize a corporate team should contact the local walk staff partner, Maria Ruiz de Luque, at 786.422.4774 or via email at maria.ruizdeluque@alsac.stjude.org. She can provide guidance on setting up a company team, connecting with other corporate groups, and accessing additional resources for large-scale participation.
Corporate involvement does more than raise money. It signals to employees, customers, and the community that the company stands behind something larger than its bottom line. Many Miami-area businesses include their St. Jude Walk participation in their social responsibility reporting and community engagement communications.
Supporting Without Walking: Other Ways to Help
Not everyone can walk on September 26. However, there are still meaningful ways to contribute.
Donating directly to an existing participant or team is one of the simplest and most impactful actions anyone can take. You can find individual fundraising pages and team pages through the official event site by searching for specific participants or teams.
You can also donate directly to the Miami campaign through the official fundraising page. Every gift, regardless of size, goes toward the collective goal of $650,000.
Additionally, sharing the event on social media, encouraging colleagues to register, and spreading awareness about the cause all amplify the reach of the campaign beyond what any single participant can do alone. Community awareness is itself a form of support.
The Bigger Picture: What Your Support Makes Possible
When you walk on September 26 in Miami, you join a movement that spans the entire country and touches lives around the world. St. Jude has achieved a 94 percent survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood cancer that had only a 4 percent survival rate when the hospital opened in 1962. That progress represents decades of work, funded in large part by people who showed up at community events exactly like this one.
The hospital’s global reach continues to expand. St. Jude shares its research findings freely with medical institutions in more than 50 countries, helping doctors everywhere treat childhood cancer with the most current knowledge available. The goal is to raise global survival rates for the six most common forms of childhood cancer from 20 percent to 60 percent by 2030. Every dollar raised in Miami on September 26 contributes to that timeline.
Conclusion
The St. Jude Walk Miami 2026 takes place on Saturday, September 26, at the Miami Dade County Fair and Expo Center, 10901 SW 24th Street, Miami, FL 33165. Registration is free and open to individuals, teams, and virtual participants through the official St. Jude fundraising website. The 2026 fundraising goal is $650,000, and every dollar raised goes toward a hospital that never sends a bill to the families of the children it treats. St. Jude has helped raise the childhood cancer survival rate in the United States from 20 percent in 1962 to more than 80 percent today, and that progress depends on community events like this one. Participants earn exclusive swag for reaching fundraising milestones, and the St. Jude Walk app makes it simple to collect donations, track progress, and stay connected with teammates. Whether you walk in person, participate virtually, donate to a friend’s page, or simply share the event with your network, your involvement on September 26 adds another step to a journey that is saving the lives of children across Miami, across the United States, and around the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is the St. Jude Walk Miami 2026?
The event takes place on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Miami Dade County Fair and Expo Center, located at 10901 SW 24th Street, Miami, FL 33165. The event is a 5K fundraiser walk available in both in-person and virtual formats during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
How do I register for the event?
Visit fundraising.stjude.org and search for the Miami event. You can register as an individual, join an existing team, or create your own team. Registration is completely free. After registering, download the St. Jude Walk mobile app to manage your fundraising, send donation requests, and stay connected with your team.
Is there a registration fee or minimum fundraising amount?
There is no registration fee to join the walk. There is also no mandatory minimum fundraising amount. However, the more you raise, the greater the impact on the $650,000 goal for Miami and the broader mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Fundraising also unlocks exclusive St. Jude swag at various milestone levels.
Can I participate if I cannot attend in person on September 26?
Yes. The event offers a virtual participation option that allows you to walk, run, or move in your own neighborhood or wherever you are on the day. Virtual participants register through the same website, set up the same fundraising page, and contribute to the same Miami fundraising total. You are a full part of the community regardless of where you walk.
How does my donation benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital?
For every dollar donated to St. Jude, 82 cents goes directly toward research, patient treatment, and the future needs of the hospital. Families treated at St. Jude never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food. Donations fund the research and care that have helped push the childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent in 1962 to more than 80 percent today. St. Jude also freely shares its discoveries worldwide, meaning every donation helps children far beyond Miami.
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