Amy and Alison: Two A+ Examples of 3-Day Crew Awesomeness

We’ve said it many times before, but the sentiment can never be overstated: the 3-Day absolutely would not be possible without the hard work put in by our dedicated, all-volunteer crew. “Extraordinary” is a word we really could use to describe any 3-Day crew member, but as National Volunteer Week continues, we’re happy to be able to shine the spotlight on a pair of crew members whose commitment truly sets them apart.

Amy Nadeau and Alison Glancz come from opposite points of the country, but they share something in common: they are both incredibly passionate about being part of the 3-Day crew, and have both been fixtures on the 3-Day for over a decade.

Amy lives in Dexter, Michigan with her husband Mark, and the two of them first became part of the 3-Day in 2006, a year after Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer. “When I finished my treatment, Mark and I were just beginning to think about how we could give back—or maybe ‘pay it forward’ is a better term—for the advances that made my recovery possible. I saw a commercial for the 3-Day, we went to a Get Started Meeting and the rest is history!” Capture

Alison, who hails from Atlanta, also attended a meeting at the beginning of her 3-Day journey: “I went to a meeting in 2005 as a sorority representative on UGA’s campus. I saw the video and knew it was something I had to be a part of, so I signed up that night. I guess 23 events later you could say I’ve become addicted.”

Alison Glancz

You read that right: 23 events for Alison; she walked her first three years and has crewed multiple events—20 total—every year since 2007. “Crewing honestly means the world to me. While I enjoyed walking, I LOVE crewing. It’s an opportunity for me to give back to walkers who come back year after year and devote themselves to an amazing cause. The crew is its own family, it’s just a giant reunion on event. What’s not to love?”

Amy’s 3-Day resume is equally impressive; both she and Mark have crewed the Michigan 3-Day every year since 2006, and Mark also walked in 2015 to celebrate Amy’s 10^th year as a breast cancer survivor. “We chose to crew because we wanted to focus on serving the walkers. It’s a way to say thank you for what their efforts have made possible for me and all those who did and will come after me. I firmly believe that I would not be here today, if not for the advances made possible by the 3-Day and other events like it.”

Crewing the 3-Day means long hours and hard work, so making the commitment year after year to volunteer as crew members is remarkable in itself. But so often, crew members like Amy and Alison go above and beyond by spending months fundraising leading up to the 3-Day, in addition to working their tails off for 4 days at each event. Crew members are not required to raise money for the 3-Day, but that hasn’t stopped Amy and Alison.

“Mark and I fundraise, even as crew members,” Amy shared, “because winning this fight can’t happen without funding, and being a crew member rather than a walker does not change that need. We aren’t shy about asking people for their support–sometimes repeatedly–and we always use our personal story to illustrate why this is so important.” Together, Mark and Amy have raised over $100,000 since they first started with the 3-Day in 2006.

Mark and Amy

Alison’s feeling about fundraising as a crew member is right there with the Nadeaus. “I’ve raised over $52,000 in these 11 years. So crazy! When I switched over to crew back in 2008, I still wanted to contribute, and my goal was always to raise the $2,300 minimum, just like the walkers. I wanted to have a similar impact. Each year my goal just kept increasing, and I learned not to be afraid to ask anyone and everyone.”

Who could say no to this?

When I first reached out to these two ladies, I wasn’t aware of any connection they had with each other, and they each didn’t know that I was in contact with the other, so it was a delightful surprise when, coincidentally, Alison sent me a photo of her with Amy! Turns out that their paths crossed for the first time on the 2015 3-Day in Michigan. “Alison was captain of lunch in Michigan last year and I was on her crew,” Amy told me. Alison added, “It was my first event there, and everyone (especially Amy!) welcomed me with open arms. It was an amazing event, and I’m registered for it again this year.”

Amy and Alison looking cool

So what’s next for these two? As you might have guessed, their 2016 schedules will include more memories made crewing at the 3-Day. Amy and Mark will be in Michigan again this year, Amy on Camp Services and Mark on Gear and Tent. Same goes for Alison: “I will definitely be in Atlanta, in my usual Camp Services role. People know to look for me in my crazy costumes at camp every year! As of now, I’m also planning to be in Michigan and Philadelphia, definitely on the road.” We couldn’t imagine these events without them.

It’s difficult to put into words the effect that the 3-Day has on a person, whether they be a walker or crew member or some combination of both. Amy and Alison stand as two examples of people who embody a belief that you can’t help but share once you’ve felt the 3-Day magic. Alison sums it up perfectly: “I honestly can’t imagine my life without the 3-Day. I’ve seen a lot of things in 23 events, but one thing always stays the same: this is the most amazing, brave, beautiful, strong group of people I have ever met.”

Give a Little, Help a Lot: Be a 3-Day Volunteer

Next week (April 10-16), we recognize National Volunteer Week. The Susan G. Komen 3-Day is a bold, ambitious, large-scale event series that simply would not be possible without the time and talent of thousands of amazing volunteers. We do a lot to thank and praise our all-volunteer 3-Day Crew, but today, we’d like to tell you a little bit about the other behind-the-scenes heroes of the 3-Day: our day volunteers. 2015_3DAY_ATLsun_EDB (462)

Crew or Volunteer: What’s the Difference? – Crew members are 3-Day participants who register for the event months in advance and make a commitment to volunteer for the duration of the 3-Day event weekend (Thursday through Sunday). Crew members are assigned to a specific job far in advance of the 3-Day, and that is their job for the entire event. Volunteers (whom we refer to as “day volunteers”) are folks whose hearts burst with the same spirit of helpfulness that crew members have, but may not have as much time to give. Volunteers typically sign on for shifts that are a few hours at a time. 2015_3DAY_ATLsun_EDB (450)

Easily spotted in their purple shirts, 3-Day volunteers are a special kind of awesome. They show up to help, sometimes not even knowing what that might entail, and then give their time, energy and enthusiasm to creating 3-Day magic. Often, these are folks who, for months, have been supporting friends or family members as they raised money and trained for 3-Day, but they still come out and continue to give. Smiles and high fives from 3-Day volunteers have the special power to make a walker’s day while also bringing complete joy to the volunteer too! We can’t say thank you enough to these wonderful workers, and we’re always happy about welcoming new volunteers into the 3-Day family. 2014_3DAY_DFW_JF_1345

There are all kinds of opportunities for people to be part of the 3-Day as day volunteers.

Before the Event – Even months before any walkers step out on to their 60-mile 3-Day route, volunteers (many of whom will be walkers or crew members when the 3-Day rolls around) are part of the 3-Day’s outreach efforts, spreading the word and getting people excited about the 3-Day coming to their towns. This type of community outreach might include attending informative meet-ups with the 3-Day coaches, sharing information about the 3-Day at other community race expos (such as the Komen Race for the Cure®), or being part of the “street team,” which has the exciting job of canvassing neighborhoods a few weeks before the 3-Day to let the locals know that a parade of pink will soon be passing through, and encourage them to decorate, cheer and support.

On-Event Volunteers – While many of the on-event jobs are taken care of by crew members, the 3-Day still has tasks that need to doing. Day volunteers to the rescue! If you have a few hours that you can give on one or more of the 3-Day’s event days, you can help out with:

Cheering Stations – One of the most fun and inspiring ways you can volunteer your time is at a cheering station along the route. This is especially great if you have a group that wants to volunteer.
Campsite Operations – Some jobs in and around the 3-Day camp can use extra hands from time to time, including traffic control, food service, trash pick-up, help with putting up sleeping tents, and more.
Participant Finish Area – This area is located at the end of the route on Day 3, and volunteers here help with a number of jobs before the Closing Ceremony, including handing out snacks and water to walkers at the finish, Victory t-shirt distribution, traffic management and gear retrieval, to name a few.
Specialized Jobs – If you are a medical professional (doctor, physician assistant, RN, physical therapist or paramedic/EMT) or an ASL interpreter, the 3-Day would love your help!

Kids Welcome! – Many of the 3-Day’s day volunteer opportunities are open to kids aged 10 or older (with adult supervision). 2015_3DAY_SDsun_EDB (248)

Groups = Great! – Are you part of a group that’s looking for volunteer opportunities? Consider the 3-Day! We welcome charity organizations, scout groups, high school or college clubs and teams, workplace groups and church groups to fill special roles. 2015_3DAY_DFWsun_EDB (739)

Learn More! – Volunteers interested in these opportunities should reach out to the 3-Day coaches at 800-996-3DAY or coaches@The3Day.org for more information. You can also visit The3Day.org/Volunteer to view and sign up for volunteer opportunities that are already open, and can subscribe to the Volunteer Bulletin, an email newsletter that will alert you of new openings. And don’t forget to Like the 3-Day Coaches on Facebook too!

A Piglet Princess Makes Her 3-Day Debut

There’s a group of people on every Susan G. Komen 3-Day® event that you can’t help but notice. It might be their loud, enthusiastic cheering, their impressive helpfulness around pit stops and in camp, or their unmistakable yellow shirts. No matter how the Komen 3-Day Youth Corps kids come to your attention, one thing is certain: they’re a remarkable group of young people.

Last month at the Twin Cities 3-Day, I was excited to see these 10-16 year-old kids out again, as they are always a bright spot on each day, but there was one Youth Corps member in particular whom I simply had to talk to.

Madelynne is a soft-spoken girl from Wisconsin. At 11 years old, she’s one of the younger Youth Corps kids and she seemed a little apprehensive when she was asked if she would mind talking to me for the 3-Day blog (in fact, I had to explain to her what a blog is).

This was Madelynne’s first year on the Youth Corps, but like most Youth Corps kids, her connection with breast cancer goes back longer than any child should have to experience. She has had several family members who have had the disease, including her grandmother who was a 32-year survivor when she passed away a few years ago.

And like most Youth Corps kids, the 3-Day has been a part of Madelynne’s own family history for many years too. Her dad has been a participant for most of her life. She said she doesn’t remember him first getting involved with the 3-Day (he’s been crewing since 2008, with one year of walking; all of his events have been in the Twin Cities, plus one year on the crew in San Francisco) but she knows that he’s kind of a celebrity on the Twin Cities 3-Day.

“Because he’s who?” I asked her. She smiled. “Mullet Pig.”

Oh yes, Mullet Pig. You would be hard-pressed to find a Twin Cities 3-Day veteran who doesn’t know this icon of the Route Safety team. He’s out here on his bike, year after year, dressed in all kinds of wacky attire, right down to his signature piggy mask and pink lipstick. I asked Madelynne what she thought of that. Her response was what you’d expect from any daughter whose dad sports a pink tutu and an over-the-shirt bra adorned with stick-on googly eyes: “It’s embarrassing.”

But this is the 3-Day and anything goes out here, fashion-wise. I asked her if she thinks it’s cool at all, or is it just embarrassing, to which she promptly replied, “Yeah, it’s cool too.”

A little bit later in the day, I caught up with Mullet Pig (whose name is Dave on the other 362 days of the year) and shared with him some of my conversation with his little girl.

“She’s quiet,” I said to him. “She is quiet,” he agreed. “She’s very quiet at first, but once she gets comfortable, she starts coming out of her shell. I’ve seen it already, just from Thursday to today [Saturday].” Knowing what a larger-than-life presence Mullet Pig is on the Twin Cities 3-Day, I told him I was surprised at how introverted Madelynne seemed to be, by comparison. He replied, “As we were getting ready for the 3-Day, we were talking. And she knows all about Mullet Pig, and she loves that Dad’s Mullet Pig, but I could sense that she was kind of getting a little nervous. I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ and she said, ‘I don’t know if I can be like you.’ And I said, ‘You know what? That’s okay. Madelynne, you can be Madelynne if you want to be at the 3-Day, you can be Princess Mullet Pig [the “family” nickname she’s had for years], or you can be anywhere in between. So she’s a little bit in between, I think. And that’s okay. I want to give her the freedom and the support to be her own person. She doesn’t have to be who I am.”

It was a real pleasure for me to talk to Dave about his daughter. I have kids too, and I know that it’s a special gift when a parent gets to hear the things their kids have said when they weren’t around. I told Dave what Madelynne said when I asked her what she thinks about what her dad does. Not necessarily how he looks, but what he does out here. Her response was: “He makes sure it’s safe. And he cheers the walkers up.” After being on her feet for a day and a half, Madelynne had admitted to me she was tired and knew that the walkers must be that much more tired. But she said she knows that her dad is really, really good at cheering people up.

Dave smiled at hearing that. “If I can bring smiles to people’s faces, that’s what I do. And if I can pass that on to Madelynne… I hear about it. I hear she’s doing her job. I hear, ‘Oh, Princess Mullet Pig was so cute! We loved her cheers!’ then that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about me, or Mullet Pig, or Mulletude, it’s about inspiring. That’s what it’s all about.”

Separately, I asked Madelynne and Dave to tell me one word that describes the other person. Without hesitation, Madelynne replied, “Awesome.” When I asked Mullet Pig a couple of hours later, I said I wasn’t going to tell him what Madelynne’s word for him was (to my knowledge, he’s just finding it out now). Dave pondered on his word for a few seconds. It’s hard to pick just one, isn’t it, I said. Dave, getting a little bit choked up with Daddy pride, said quietly “It is hard to pick just one,” then said, “All right. Awesome.” I laughed, knowing something he didn’t. The piggy apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, it would seem.

He continued, “I have to say ‘awesome.’ You know, just to see her and see her personality and what she does. She’s so open to suggestions but yet, she’ll take those suggestions and make them her own. As a parent, it’s good to see. As she’s growing up, you know, she’s not my little baby anymore—well, she’ll always be my baby—but she’s growing up, she has her own personality, and that’s what I think is cool about all of this. She grasps the concept of what we do out here. Inspiring people.”