CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — It was a cold and stormy day but from the turnout it was clear, not even a drenching rain can wash away hope.
"They're here because they care and these are the people who are going to continue to help us make a difference," said Jennifer Hawn.
The crowd was for the annual Muscle Walk to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
"The MDA family is such a strong group," Sarah Schwegel said.
For the 25-year-old Schwegel, the cause is personal. She was born with a muscle disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
"So the motor neurons that I have do not work my brain can say raise your arm up and it won't go," she said.
But Sarah has never let it stop her.
When she was just a little girl, she was the MDA's National Goodwill Ambassador.
Now, she has a master's degree and is a program coordinator for the Starkloff Disability Institute.
It's also very personal for Hawn.
She lost her son Ryan to SMA but now, with help from friends, family and even strangers, her team called "The Flying Pigs" has raised thousands for the Muscle Walk.
What's not lost on anyone here, is the significance of this fundraiser taking place on Mother's Day weekend.
For the moms, taking care of a child with Muscular Dystrophy is 24/7 and that still might not be enough.
"I wish Ryan was here and I know he knows that but his life here would not be the life I would want for him," she said through tears.
"My prayer was always that God keep her happy and give her work to do," Sarah's mom Sandy Kline said. "And he listened."
Even while dodging raindrops, walkers and sponsors raised more than $150,000 to help MDA find more treatments and cures, showing how hope can bring a little warmth to a cold day.