Hooray! 2016 Twin Cities 3-Day Saturday Award Winners and Honorees

The 3-Day relies on the hard work of everybody who is involved: with the fundraising, training, and the actual walking and crewing during the 3-Day weekend, it’s fair to say the immense dedication and commitment of everyone absolutely shines through. We’re grateful for every single one of you, and it’s our pleasure to recognize some members of our community who went way above and beyond. Join us in congratulating the 2016 Twin Cities Award Winners and Honorees!

Top Training Walk Leader:

Kathryn Labbe has been participating in the 3-Day for 11 years and has been a Training Walk Leader for seven years. Kathy joins us from Mesa, AZ, and is walking for the first time in the Twin Cities this weekend. Previously, she’s walked in Arizona, Washington, D.C., San Diego and Dallas/Fort Worth. Kathy has become quite adventurous in recent years. She has gone sky diving, parasailing, paragliding, and scuba diving since turning 50 years young!

Top Individual Walker Fundraiser:

Let’s hear it for Mary Ann Isaac! Mary Ann has raised $27,670 this year, and an astonishing $122,731 in her lifetime. She’s been a participant for 8 years and Twin Cities was her 8^th event. She is captain of Team Chicks for a Cure. This awesome total fundraising is especially impressive because Mary spends more days traveling and in hotels in a year than she spends in her own house!

Top Crew Fundraiser:

Shannon Riggs raised $5,500 this year, with an amazing $25,659 raised in her lifetime. She’s been involved with the 3-Day for 11 years and this is her 14^th event. She’s the Route Clean Up and Route Hydration Captain, and racing towards that fundraising is no problem because Shannon is a licensed race car driver, and she has traveled to more than 14 countries in the world…but not as a race car driver!

Top Youth Corps Fundraiser:

Let’s hear it for Ava Redpath who at just 11 years old raised $1,344 ! Ava is from Rosemount, MN and this is her 1^st time serving in Youth Corps.

Top Team Fundraiser:

It’s time for a super huge virtual high five – Cassie’s Cups is our top fundraising team award winner, with an incredible $54,510 raised this year. Cassie’s Cups has had 7 years as team and has raised a lifechanging $109,682 total. Their Team Captain is Christine Kokaisel and there are 25 members of Cassie’s Cups.

Milestone Award:

Our Milestone Award goes to Peggy Sowden who has participated for 11 years, and this was her 13^th event. She’s raised $58,067 in her lifetime, and as a self-proclaimed Disney Addict, she finds a way to get that mouse into almost everything she does. Peggy has supported her fellow walkers by being a Training Walker Leader and volunteering for local activities. In addition to Twin Cities, she has walked in Chicago and Seattle. What did her friends have to say about Peggy? “Peggy is a kind-hearted person who tries to bring a smile to everyone she meets. She is always willing to lend a hand to others in need.” – Sue N., friend and fellow participant. “2013 was her 10^th For those of you who also walked that year, you’ll remember that we had to cut the route short on Day 3 by 10 miles due to the extreme heat. One of Peggy’s friends said she remembered how bummed Peggy was because finishing that day would have meant that she had logged 600 miles in her 3-Day career, but instead ended up with 590!” – Kim W., friend and teammate. You’re awesome, Peggy!

Local Impact Award:

Congrats to our Local Impact Award winner Janet Stevens, who has participated in the 3-Day for 9 years. The Twin Cities 3-Day was her 11^th event, and she’s raised a knockout $43,369 in her lifetime. She’s a part of Team Breast Friends Walking, and in another life, Janet was a school teacher and taught swimming in her spare time. She is English, but has not lived in England since 1984. She moved to Wales until 1986 then went to Brussels in Belgium until 2001 when she returned to America. Janet can often be seen with her signature hot pink braided wig, and her friends have this to say about her: “If you are walking with Janet, don’t be in a hurry, as she needs to stop, chat, and make friends with EVERYONE along the way- That’s why we all love her! She’s also been known to take care of her teammates, by bringing coffee to our tents, first thing in the morning.” – Sandy A., teammate. “One of her teammates, I won’t name names, used to tell her that if they get separated in a crowd they would just look for a head with bright pink hair. But since there are a number of gals here with pink wigs that isn’t useful. So, now they listen for Janet’s distinct British accent and since she lives in Lake Elmo, they always refer to that as her “Lake Elmo” accent. You can always locate her then. Also, in walking with her for seven years now, I realize there isn’t a photo opportunity that she misses. She probably has a photo of every Twin Cities’ landmark along with every possible strange character we ever met on our journey. She could print all those out and wallpaper her house.” – Lyle K., teammate. Thank you so much, Janet!

Please join us in congratulating all of these amazing people! We couldn’t do the 3-Day without YOU!

2016 Twin Cities 3-Day Wrap-up

The Susan G. Komen Twin Cities 3-Day began early Friday morning as a cheerful pink family against a gray sky. The somber weather was no match for the enthusiasm and dedication radiating from our walkers and crew, who listened to moving stories from the honor speakers, shouted the names of their loved ones in memoriam, and were amped up by Chrissy Mathews, 3-Day Program Manager, and Dr. Sheri Prentiss. As music pulsed through the lot at Southdale Center in Edina, our 500 walkers began the first steps in their 3-Day journey.

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Pit Stop 1 greeted walkers with a peaceful vibe… of peace, love, and boobees, that is. Walkers refueled with juicy oranges and grahamwiches, filled up on sports drink, visited portapotties, and headed back out onto the route.

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Minnesota’s stunning green landscape didn’t disappoint at 6.3 miles in at Lake Harriet, where ducks floated by and squirrels dashed up trees.

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After lunch, the sweeping city views at Father Hennepin Bluffs Park were the perfect backdrop for photos (thanks, Bank of America!), and having clocked 14.7 miles, feet were starting to get sore. Pit stops refueled the walkers several miles later as grahamwiches were scarfed and hydration remained a priority.

Back at camp, walkers relaxed with Bank of America’s massage chairs and hands on massage, and sipped refreshing mocktails in our glamping lounge. Camp Angels helped set up pink tents and slowly a pink city rose against the blue dusk. We welcomed in our last walker and then heard from courageous survivor Teresa Swinson, 3-Day specialist Amber, played some games with Bank of America, and listened to the Youth Corps share their reasons for participating. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house! Camp show ended on an inspirational note, and we walked back to our tents feeling tired but grateful, finishing off the day knowing we made a 20-mile impact in the fight against breast cancer.

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Day 2 was full of what some walkers dubbed ‘tears of joy’. Sprinkles and downpours drenched our walkers and crew in liquid sunshine, but cheery yellow ponchos kept everyone relatively dry and the walk went on. Flooded roads put a slight crimp in the route, with a special re-route courtesy of cozy SAG buses that whisked our walkers away to lunch.
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While the rain kept coming down, the amazing and optimistic attitudes of 3-Dayers shone through even when the sun didn’t. The day was moved along by the hard work of our energetic crew, and pit Stops like Pit 4, the Wizard of Bras, provided hilarious entertainment with pumping music and dance parties. We may not have been in Kansas, but the yellow brick road and cold sports drink of Pit 4 proved that there’s no place like the 3-Day.

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Saturday is Friends and Family night at the 3-Day, so it was the perfect night to call out the extraordinary Top Fundraisers, Local Impact Award Winner, Milestone Award Winner, Veteran and New Walkers. They were all rewarded with personalized gifts from Bank of America, which was the perfect introduction to a special celebration loaded with surprises in honor of our 150th walk! We won’t tell you much here so it’s a surprise for everyone 😉

Though the rain may have made parts of Day 2 more challenging, it cleared up in time for a beautiful sunset, the perfect parting gift for a special 40 miles.

It was smiles all around in Camp on Sunday morning as walkers woke up in Harvest Park to clear blue skies.

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The public came out to cheer on our walkers at Northwood and Indian Mounds Parks, passing out candies, ribbons, and to some lucky walkers, hot coffee from a popular establishment. Indian Mounds Park was the source of the day’s knockout scenery, with the St. Paul skyline bursting through clearings in the trees.

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It was just a few more miles through downtown St. Paul to get to the gorgeous Harriet Island, home of our Closing Ceremony. Our walkers marched victoriously onto the field, surrounded by clapping Crew members. They knelt in solidarity, each holding a shoe towards the sky, saluting our brave survivors as they walked into the audience. Chrissy and Dr. Sheri shared the news that 500 walkers and 200 crew raised an astonishing $1.4 million dollars toward furthering the fight against breast cancer. Looking out into a sea of survivors and co-survivors, family and friends, we were reminded again of the magnitude of what we do, and the power, dedication, and HOPE that comes from the tenacity and commitment of each and every one of you. Twin Cities; we’re so proud of you, and we promise you: we will never give up.

HEROES

The 2016 Susan G. Komen Twin Cities 3-Day Honors Our Opening Ceremony Speakers

We began our 2016 Twin Cities Komen 3-Day with an inspiring and beautiful Opening Ceremony. Although the skies were gray, the enthusiastic spirit couldn’t be dampened by the weather. Walkers, crew members and supporters joined their hearts and hopes in the shared promise of bringing about the end of breast cancer, one footstep at a time.

As part of the Ceremony, we were honored to welcome some special 3-Day participants to the stage, where they shared their own inspirations—both heart-warming and heartbreaking—for being part of the 3-Day. Hear their compelling and touching reasons for being a part of our 2016 walk. #WeAreThe3Day

Kathy Pepski – My Sister

I am walking with and for my sister, along with her husband. My sister is a two-time breast cancer survivor and this is our second time walking. We are here to honor her strength and passion for beating this disease. She is my best friend and my inspiration. I’m Kathy and I AM the 3-Day.

Carley Cummings – My Mother

I walk in memory of my mother, Laurie, who fought breast cancer for 12 years. Cancer took her away from us in 2014, hours after my sister and I crossed the 3-Day finish line. Even though my mother lost her battle, it does not mean this war is over. I’m Carley and I AM the 3-Day.

Ellen Race – My Friend

I walk for my best friend Molly, who passed away just 3 months ago, after an inspiring 6-year struggle. While she was only 39, she was given more time with her 3 children thanks to a Komen-researched chemo. This year, Molly’s Army walks in our fourth 3-Day because we believe in a CURE! I’m Ellen and I AM the 3-Day.

Rebecca Kalamen – Myself

I walk in memory of my great-grandmother Sophie, my grandmother Rose, my Aunt Vikki, my Aunt Sharon, and my Dad Gene. I walk for myself. I am a 5-time 3-Day walker and a 10-year survivor. I walk so that my 11-year old son Zach doesn’t have to. I’m Rebecca and I AM the 3-Day.

Abby Eystad – My Grandmother

We walk in memory of my Grandma, Louise, who battled breast cancer for 20 years before it took her from us.

John Schwartz – My Daughter

I walk for my daughter Cassie. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at 24 years old. She passed away on May 2, just a couple months short of her 31^st birthday. I walk for her and for all those who have breast cancer. Cassie and her best friend, Christi, started Cassie’s Cups and we’re in our 7^th year to help find a cure. I’m John and I AM THE 3-DAY.