Like my blogger friend Kristina Collins, I too just attended a Making Strides Against Breast Cancer kick-off. Kristina's New Jersey event was a breakfast. My Florida event was a dinner. It wasn't the meal that mattered, though. What matters is the enthusiasm, the spirit, the inspiration that flows through the rooms where these gatherings take place. My kick-off celebration featured a delicious and healthy meal, a slide show of the pink-shirted crowds that assembled for last year's 5K event, a mini lesson on the topic of breast cancer, a presentation from a 27-year old wife and mother of three who has survived breast cancer for one year, and a reminder that now is the time to start raising funds for the big day -- October 20, here in Gainesville.
I went to this dinner with my husband, sat with two oncology nurses who form a fundraising and walking team each year, and choked back the emotion that wells up in me when I'm part of such a powerful group.
Yes, it's time for Making Strides, the American Cancer Society's premier event intended to raise awareness and funds in the fight against breast cancer. Since 1993, 3.5 million walkers have raised more than $230 million and in 2006 alone, 450,000 walkers across the country collected more than $40 million.
To locate a Making Strides event near you, click here.
