Eight marchers came to Marion on Saturday to raise awareness for a special organization that has been helping the people of Perry County for the past 10 years.

Members of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and students from Auburn University started their walk Wednesday from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship office in Hoover in route to Marion to raise awareness for Sowing Seeds of Hope and the needs of Perry County.

Sowing Seeds of Hope is a not for profit group established in 2000.

“We are trying to improve the quality of life in Perry County,” said the executive director of Seeds of Hope, Frances Ford.

Seeds of Hope has been involved in many different tasks in Perry County.

“We have done more than 240 housing renovation projects, free health screenings, different educational things with schools,” said Ford. “The CBF has been working very hard to help us achieve our goal of improving life in Perry County.”

According to Ford, Dr. David Vestial-president of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship- has given a 25-year commitment to improve Perry County.

Now the group is marching to show its support.

“It just lets you know their commitment,” said Ford.

Seeds of Hope has also just partnered with the Alabama Department of Public Health to help them in their task to bring about a healthy Perry County.

“I have been here for almost two months now,” said the director for the Perry County of Project Share Jamie Richey. “We are here as part of a national initiative called Building a Healthier Nation.”

According to Richey, the program will work on raising awareness of the high-risk health problems in Perry County.

“We are going to focus on the risk factors,” said Richey. “Tobacco, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.”

Ford said the task in daunting, but can be accomplished.

“The needs are so great in Perry County,” said Ford. “But that just means that there are a lot of opportunities.”