PEORIA – (September 7, 2012) In 2012, over 60,000 primary brain tumors will be diagnosed in the United States and over 4,000 of them will be children.

Mark Linder, a Peoria native who graduated from Richwoods High School, Southern Illinois University in 1997, and then received his master’s from Western Kentucky University, was only in his twenties when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

WHAT: In an effort to reach out to other brain tumor survivors and to help raise funds for Brain Tumor research, Mark Linder founded the Walk for the Mind in 2003. That first walk attracted over 150 walkers on the Peoria Riverfront and raised over $12,000 for research programs of the American Brain Tumor Association. While Mark died in 2005 at age 31, the walk lives on.

WHEN & WHERE: The Tenth Annual walk takes place Saturday, Sept. 29 at the Peoria Riverplex. The walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Registration is from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. the day of the race.

WHY: To date, the Walk has raised over $300,000 for brain tumor research. All proceeds this year will support brain tumor research at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.

ALSO: Past participants have been mailed registration forms but they are also available at www.marklinderwalkformind.com. The entry fee is $20 for adults and $10 for children (10 years and younger). Survivors are free. There will be an extensive raffle the morning of the walk as well as children’s activities.

This year’s Honorary Chairperson for the Walk is Mayor Jim Ardis.

Brain tumors are second only to leukemia in the cause of cancer deaths in all children under the age of 20 with leukemia being first. Brain tumors are also the second most common cause of death (after leukemia) in males aged 20-39 and the 5th most common cause of death in women aged 20-39, according to the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States and American Brain Tumor Association.