Congratulations to George Nummer, the Susan G. Komen Twin Cities 3-Day Milestone Award winner! George is in his 11^th year of involvement with the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, on his 32^nd event, and has raised over $81,000 in his life towards fighting breast cancer.

George takes on Day 2 of the Twin Cities 3-Day

George has walked the Komen 3-Day in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas / Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Twin Cities, and Washington D.C. (whew!). In 2007, George walked all twelve 3-Day® events, and with every step George takes, he’s helping to spread the message that early detection is key. Along the route yesterday, he spoke with 14 women who promised they would get mammograms. At the Camp Show last night, George asked women in the audience to raise their hands and promise that they would get mammograms. This passionate advocacy for detection has already saved one life, as George tells the story of a young women who got a mammogram despite her insurance not covering it because she wasn’t 40. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and thanked George for encouraging her to get screened. Because they caught it early, it was treatable. As he likes to say, “What’s more important: the money or your life?”

Fundraising $81,000 is no small feat, and George has fine-tuned his fundraising strategies over the years. “I was hesitant the first time I ever fundraised, and I put in a lot of my own money,” he said. One of George’s favorite ways to raise money is by writing letters. “I send a couple hundred letters out a year,” he said. He also recommends that you get creative with your fundraising. George is a retired electrician and started working side jobs for donations. He also learned to talk to people on training walks and to tell them about his fundraising goals. “Ask for a donation. All they can do is say no – you’d be surprised how many people will donate to you!” George has also sold buttons and badges for fundraising.

George sells buttons and badges for his fundraising efforts.

There’s no doubt that seeing George’s smiling face around both Michigan and Twin Cities this year has been a joy for many participants, evident in the numerous photo opps George has been a part of. George’s advice to other 3-Dayers? “Don’t make a race out of it. Take your time, stop and smell the roses, talk to people.”

“After I finish this walk, I’ll be 20 miles short of my 2,000 mile mark. So I signed up for Michigan for next year – after Day 1, I’ll have my 2,000 miles,” George said. We’re grateful for George and every mile he’s walked with our wonderful 3-Day family, helping us get one step closer to ending breast cancer forever.