Sandy, Tammy, and Cara make up three generations participating this year in Tampa Bay

“When my mom started walking in 2005 in Tampa Bay, she really didn’t have a personal connection to breast cancer,” mentioned Cara, who was gearing up to serve lunches to the hundreds of Susan G. Komen 3-Day^® participants this weekend in Tampa Bay. “My mom, Tammy, heard a radio spot that was announcing that the Komen 3-Day was coming to Tampa, and she just decided to do it.”

The C-Side Sisters + Mister gather at lunch for a team photo

Tammy then got her mother, Sandy, to walk with her team “The C-Side Sisters” in 2007. “I loved it, but 60 miles is a long way!” laughed Sandy. “Most people don’t realize that lunch and the Pit Stops are a lot of work. We love to do it, but we’re glad to have some men join us this year.” She points to Sergio, her granddaughter Cara’s boyfriend and the one of a few ‘misters,’ who have been helping out for the last three years. This year Cara and Sergio are co-captains of the 27-person team that serves lunches, coordinates medical care, and helps walkers finish their day strong.  One way to perk up the walkers who are traveling 20 miles a day is to dress their lunch spot (and themselves!) in a stylish theme.

The C-Side Sisters seem to really enjoy their Mister (Sergio who is helping out on the Lunch Crew)

“We’ve been the ‘lunch ladies’ for awhile now, and the Tampa Bay 3-Day walkers have come to expect it,” explained Cara, “but we also change the theme on Day 2 of the route. We’re ‘tacky tourists’ on the second day.”

The C-Side Sisters + Misters have been busy over the years. Since 2005, they have raised over $365,000 for breast cancer research and funds for local help to fund mammograms and other prevention and screening. Sandy explained that one of the big fundraisers for the last few years has been their golf tournament ‘Golf For a Cure.’ “It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve had great sponsors and people pay a certain amount to golf certain holes. We had a hole-in-one winner two weeks ago and the person won a 2014 Ford Escape!” The team laughed thinking that the dealership thought that no one would actually make a hole-in-one.

The Lunch Crew gathers after setting up for the hundreds of 3-Day participants ready to walk through in Tampa Bay

This is a great team with three generations of participants this week. Don’t forget to thank your lunch crew this weekend and all the crews that make the 3-Day^® possible!

Five members of Team “C-Side Sisters” roll through Pit Stop 1 at Tampa Bay 3-Day