Every year for the past 6 years my Mom and I have walked the Susan Komen National Race for the Cure in Washington DC. For the past 4 years Jill and Katie have joined us, and it's becoming our "girls" event. Every year I look forward to this weekend and what has become our tradition.
If you've never done this race, it's really one of the most inspirational and emotional races I've ever done. Just the number of people alone is remarkable. Last year there were 45,000 participants. But what is even more remarkable is the number of pink shirts. For this race you get a white shirt, unless you are a survivor, then you get a pink shirt. Looking out over the crowds of people lining up it is overwhelming the number of pink shirts. Everyone there has somehow been effected by breast cancer, and everyone there is hopeful that more progress is made.
There is a lot of media saying fundraising from these events doesn't make a difference, but I disagree. In my Virginia Tech College of Science magazine I received last month there was an article on how the Komen foundation gave a large grant for breast cancer research to Tech. Up to 75 percent of the funds raised by the Global Race for the Cure stays in the D.C. Metro Area to fund breast health education and breast health screening and treatment projects. Of all of the races people do, people seem to have at least heard of Susan Komen and the Race for the Cure. Even if she just gets the 45,000 participants to do regular self breast checks, then that's a huge accomplishment in my eyes.
I am enough of an optimist to hope that the money raised, while it might not help me or my Mom, will hopefully, keep Katie forever in the white shirt.
If you've never done this race, it's really one of the most inspirational and emotional races I've ever done. Just the number of people alone is remarkable. Last year there were 45,000 participants. But what is even more remarkable is the number of pink shirts. For this race you get a white shirt, unless you are a survivor, then you get a pink shirt. Looking out over the crowds of people lining up it is overwhelming the number of pink shirts. Everyone there has somehow been effected by breast cancer, and everyone there is hopeful that more progress is made.
There is a lot of media saying fundraising from these events doesn't make a difference, but I disagree. In my Virginia Tech College of Science magazine I received last month there was an article on how the Komen foundation gave a large grant for breast cancer research to Tech. Up to 75 percent of the funds raised by the Global Race for the Cure stays in the D.C. Metro Area to fund breast health education and breast health screening and treatment projects. Of all of the races people do, people seem to have at least heard of Susan Komen and the Race for the Cure. Even if she just gets the 45,000 participants to do regular self breast checks, then that's a huge accomplishment in my eyes.
I am enough of an optimist to hope that the money raised, while it might not help me or my Mom, will hopefully, keep Katie forever in the white shirt.
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