Last weekend at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in Seattle, it was our pleasure to recognize some of our outstanding Komen 3-Day participants with special awards given out in camp.
Top Fundraisers
On Friday, we honored the top individual, crew and team fundraisers for the Seattle 3-Day®.
Bus & sweep co-captain Kit Loudin took home the honor of top crew fundraiser, having brought in $2,720 this year. Kit’s history as a 3-Day participant is remarkable: she has completed 42 events, and has raised an incredible $48,697 in her 10 years of participation. When she’s not busying herself with all things 3-Day, Kit is an avid traveler. She has visited 48 states, 95 countries, and soon will check all seven continents off her travel bucket list.
Tina, captain of Valley Girls & Guys
If you spotted any Seattle walkers sporting signature pink cowboy hats (and how could you miss them?), you were looking at members of Valley Girls & Guys, the top fundraising team for the Seattle 3-Day. Captained by Tina McDonough, Valley Girls & Guys was also the Seattle 3-Day’s largest team at 162 members. They raised a whopping $315,430 this year and in their 7 years as team in Seattle they have brought $2,039,475 to the 3-Day. Wow!
The top individual fundraiser in Seattle, for the second year in a row, was Loretta Englishbee. This year’s Seattle event marked Loretta’s 12th 3-Day in 10 years, and this year alone she raised $26,100. Over her entire 3-Day history, Loretta has raised an astonishing $360,504. Loretta works near the beach 14 days in a row each month, but it’s not as exotic as you might think: the beach is on the Arctic Ocean, which is frozen more than 7 months out of the year.
Thank you to these Seattle 3-Dayers and everyone who worked so hard to bring the Seattle 3-Day its $2.1 million in total donations.
Milestone Award
On Friday in camp, we also recognized the Seattle 3-Day Milestone Award winner. This award is given on each 3-Day event to one participant who has an extraordinary history of involvement with the 3-Day. Seattle’s Milestone award went to Lori LeVander from team For the Girls.
Milestone Award winner Lori (center) also gave a survivor speech in camp on Saturday
Lori has been part of the 3-Day for 11 years; she has participated 7 times as a crew member and the 2015 Seattle event marked her 13th time walking. In addition to Seattle, she has also participated in the San Diego, Twin Cities, Tampa, Atlanta, and Arizona 3-Days. She estimates that she’s raised over $55,000 in her history as a 3-Day participant.
Lori’s inspiration for her first 3-Day was as personal as it gets: “I was a 2 ½ year cancer survivor and my best friend had had breast cancer. Oh yeah, and the event started on my 50th birthday. How could I NOT do it?” That was 10 years ago, and this year’s 3-Day event was particularly special for Lori as well. She just turned 60 years old, so this is her “Walking 60 at 60” year. She also recently celebrated her 33rd wedding anniversary and her husband was there to cheer her on the route.
Lori herself knows a thing or two about being a cheerleader and is always encouraging new walkers to register. In fact, she usually offers to give them their first donation if they sign up right away. She knows that the 3-Day is unlike any other event and wants people to see it first hand. “What brings me back is the common goal of the walkers and crew to be a part of ending breast cancer. The friendships, emotional healing and strength that is witnessed in crew and walkers over the event is incredible.”
Samantha, a friend of Lori’s and fellow walker had this to say about her: “Lori is a woman whose smile and laughter lights up a room. Her dedication and love of the 3-Day inspires and encourages me to never give up. I will never forget sharing a Get Started Meeting with Lori in Mercer Island when we met an incredible woman, Katie, who was training for her first 3-Day. Months later, Katie raised the flag at camp while Lori and I watched, proud and tearful, as we had been a part of Katie’s journey to the Seattle 3-Day. Lori’s generous heart, loving spirit and infectious laughter inspired us all.”
Congratulations, Lori, and from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your years of dedication to the 3-Day community.
Local Impact Award
We had one more special recognition to give out at the Saturday camp show in Seattle. The Local Impact Award is a new award for 2015, and is being presented to a participant in each 3-Day city who has been instrumental in strengthening the 3-Day in their community throughout the year. Local Impact Award honorees are participants who go above and beyond with things like leading training walks, attending local events, supporting the local 3-Day staff year-round at meet-ups and workshops, and in general, making a difference in their 3-Day community by building lasting relationships and showing commitment to the 3-Day in all they do.
The Seattle 3-Day was pleased to honor Tath Hossfeld with the Local Impact Award. Tath, who is a member of team Flamingo Road, has been part of the Komen 3-Day for 11 years. She has raised nearly $58,000 across her 18-event history.
Tath shared 30 miles of her Seattle journey with her PTSD therapy dog
Tath is a small business owner and an active member of the 3-Day community all year long. She regularly volunteers for local meetings/activities, personally helped recruit more than 12 new walkers to the 3-Day this year and originally orchestrated Seattle Design Center’s involvement with the 3-Day.
Tath and her husband, Dennis, have consistently led training walks for their team and any other 3-Day walkers for years. Tath looks out for everyone’s best interest and personally checks in with each person to see how they are doing with training and fundraising. Her fellow participants shared that you know you can always be sure to hit a good restaurant if you are on a long training walk with Tath, and the level of care she shows for her fellow walkers is apparent at every turn (she has even been known to drop to her knees and re-tie a walker’s shoes in the middle of the event).
Fellow walker Erin H. shared, “I have witnessed her gentle support of so many survivors that when a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer recently, I gave her all of Tath’s contact information without asking if it was okay. I just wanted her to connect with someone who could provide hope and guidance, and I knew that as a 32-year survivor, Tath was the perfect person to do this. And I was right.”
Join us in congratulating and thanking Tath for her extraordinary commitment to the Seattle 3-Day. We are sincerely indebted to her.
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