The 10th annual Making Strides 4-Mile Walk to combat breast cancer takes foot Sunday, Oct. 21 in Balboa Park. As in the past, participants are expected to number in the thousands for the popular event, which attracts participants from San Diego city, county and beyond.
“It provides participants with a heartfelt feeling because you know that everybody there is walking because of a friend or family member who has been touched by cancer, ” said Tami Rose, manager of the Point Loma American Cancer Society (ACS) Discovery Shop at 3609-C Midway Drive.
“The team spirit that comes from a group of people working together for a common cause makes this event very special,” Rose said.
Rose and her 10-year-old niece, Madeline, have participated for the last seven years.
Participants are encouraged to form teams made up of family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Each team walks in representation of its sponsors.
“Last year, I rallied a team of 30 people to walk in Making Strides,” said Judy Gloden, a cancer survivor featured in the event’s 2007 brochure. “When we got to the event there were tents, music and thousands of people. It was amazing. I was so proud to be a survivor.”
Gloden’s team, Judy Gloden’s Angels, raised nearly $4,500 through team sponsors. This year she hopes to increase that amount. Information about Gloden and others can be found at www.cancer.org.stridesonline.
People interested in forming a team can obtain a team packet from the Pt. Loma ACS Discovery Shop. Individuals without a team can sign up as members of the Discovery Shop team.
“We want to make participation easy and accessible for everyone who’s interested,” Rose said.
Registration is from 7:15 to 8:15 a.m. in Balboa Park. The event starts at 8:30 a.m. There is no minimum to raise. A sponsorship formula used by many is for each team member to ask a spouse/roommate, co-worker, two or more friends, relatives, neighbors, boss or fellow church members for monetary support.
Some participants donate and walk as individuals. Some support the cause by simply walking. Organizers said the entire community is welcome to participate.
Rally sessions will precede the walk with local personalities leading warm-ups and getting participants excited about the walk.
Since 1993, 3.5 million walkers across the country have raised more than $230 million through Making Strides events. The money has been used for funding cutting-edge research, which has led to lifesaving treatments like tamoxifen and Herceptin, along with the nation’s only 24-hour cancer hotline (800) ACS-2345.
The fund-raising has been used to establish free programs and services that improve the quality of life for cancer patients and their families in more than 3,000 communities across the country.
The programs advocate public policies that provide all women access to mammograms and breast cancer treatment, regardless of income.
Community programs supported by the ACS are Reach to Recover, a support program that pairs trained breast cancer survivors with patients to provide guidance through diagnosis, treatment and recovery; Look Good Feel Better, which helps patients cope with changes in appearance and the side effects of cancer treatment; Tell A Friend, which offers trained volunteers who reach out to friends and family and encourage them to get mammograms and advocates and promotes health care access for all, especially in rural areas, as well as the medically underserved and diverse populations.
For more information, call Discovery Shop at (619) 224-4336 or (619) 682-7445, or visit http://makingstrides.acsevents.org/sandiego.