The Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day is back after three years! Walkers, crew and volunteers will not be disappointed as this year’s route has some wonderful sights and scenes to be enjoyed over our three-day journey. Don’t forget when you’re out walking to take pictures, post them on your social media platforms and tag us using #DFW3Day for a chance to be featured in the 3-Day social feeds!
We are so excited to reunite the Pink Bubble at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas. This hotel is not only where we’ll start the route on Days 1 and 3, but also where the Opening Ceremony and Honor Ceremony will be held, as well as 3-Day Main Street and everything it has to offer!
Day 1 will start off with an exciting and emotional Opening Ceremony where our breast cancer survivors and those living with breast cancer will lead us out onto the route. Once departed from the hotel, we can expect gorgeous views of the Dallas skyline right off the bat. We’ll head into the Oak Lawn neighborhood and walk on and off its Turtle Creek Trails. Next, we’ll pass by the Dallas Country Club before we wander into University Park. Here we’ll cheer on the Mustangs as we pass Southern Methodist University! We’ll start winding down the day with some amazing photo opportunities, passing the Dallas Museum of Art, and the famous Giant Eyeball Sculpture!
Day 2 will start with a fun bus ride to the beautiful city of Fort Worth! We are so excited to bring the 3-Day back to Fort Worth and can’t wait for you to see this day’s beautiful route. The drop-off and pick-up point will be the same, with a bus ride taking participants back to the Hyatt Regency in Dallas after completing the route.
We’ll start our journey in Fort Worth seeing Baylor Medical Center. Be sure to take out your phones and cameras, because next up is Magnolia Avenue! It’s a hip, fun and picturesque street filled with restaurants and shops galore. The photo ops don’t stop there, because next up is the Fort Worth Water Gardens. We’ll then pass the Bank of America Tower and Farrington Field before reaching the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, as seen in the photo above. We’ll end Day 2 at Trinity Park, where buses will take us back to the Hyatt Regency for dinner and our Honor Ceremony.
Day 3 will start from the hotel as we did on Day 1, exploring more of what Dallas has to offer. First up on our last day together is the Dallas Farmer’s Market! Then we’ll make our way onto the Santa Fe Trailway, where we’ll spend most of our morning.
Walkers will then get to see Dallas’ beautiful White Rock Lake before heading into the neighborhood of Swiss Avenue. Our final miles together will include Dallas’ Main Street Garden Park and visiting the Giant Eyeball Sculpture one last time before arriving at the Finish Line Festival at Reunion Tower for our memorable Closing Ceremony.
We’re so excited to reunite for the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day! Will you be joining us? Let us know in the comments. Don’t forget to stay tuned for our route preview of the San Diego 3-Day coming soon!
We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the Susan G. Komen’s AVEENO® Champions Contest—our five AVEENO® Champions! These special members of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® community each bring their own unique chapters to the 3-Day story, and we’re proud to be able to share them with you on the blog. As you continue to prepare for your 3-Day journey, AVEENO® Cares and is here for you as a resource and support system. Today, join AVEENO® Cares and the Komen 3-Day family as we introduce our five AVEENO® Champions. #AveenoCares
Jennifer R.
Tell me about your 3-Day experience?
I first participated in the 3-Day in 2008, and I have participated once each year since. 2021 will be my 13th walk. I’ve walked most of them but have crewed two. I walked and crewed in Boston through 2013, and then walked Seattle, Philadelphia twice, and San Diego twice; I returned to New England in 2019.
Why do you participate in the 3-Day?
My best friend/sister-by-heart/cousin, Lori D., was diagnosed in 2005 with breast cancer. We have a strong family history, so the only thing that was surprising was that she was so young when diagnosed (31). The women in our family are also survivors, so we were hopeful. Lori’s other best friend, Bonnie G., wanted to do something big and signed up for the 2006 3-Day after she heard an ad on the radio. Lori had finished treatment and walked with her and one other woman; I decided not to join them — it seemed too daunting. I had participated in smaller walks before, and, honestly, the crowds of people and intense heat did not bring out the best in me.
Lori loved the 3-Day and signed up for 2007. I mentioned to her that I felt I should walk with her and she assured me it was not “Jen-friendly” due to the reasons I mentioned. Before she could walk in the 2007 walk, Lori was diagnosed with lung cancer (which no one could understand), and her breast cancer metastasized to her brain and her spine. She was too sick to walk in August 2007 and passed away at the beginning of September. I knew I had to walk the 2008 3-Day in her honor. She was devoted to the 3-Day; when diagnosed with lung cancer, many suggested she quit the 3-Day and do the Relay for Life instead — she refused. The 3-Day was important to Lori; now, it was equally important to me.
I signed up for the 2008 3-Day and told my teammates (our team was named Lori’s Breast Friends) that I didn’t know if I would be emotionally able to actually walk all three days, but I would try. I walked all 60 miles — for Lori. I continue to participate in the 3-Day for Lori, and so we can have a future where breast cancer doesn’t take someone’s best friend, sister, mother, cousin — anyone.
What does being named an AVEENO® Champion mean to you?
I applied to be an AVEENO® Champion because I had used AVEENO® products in the past and wanted to try to support a company that was sponsoring the 3-Day. The companies that support Komen and the 3-Day have an increased value in my book, and I thought I would try to support one. Also, I thought if I liked the products, being an AVEENO® Champion would be a great way to share my “approval” of the products and company with my friends on social media — a way to give back to a company that is giving to the 3-Day.
Lynda dC.
Tell me about your 3-Day experience?
2021 will be my 13th experience with the 3-Day. I started in 2002 in San Francisco, walking and then crewing. In 2006, I walked the 3-Day in Seattle, a grueling event that is still talked about today by those who participated. I began my annual participation in the San Diego 3-Day in 2010, and I’m now a five-time walker and four-time crew member for pit stops and camp services. I had to sit out in 2019 but will be back in San Diego for 2021. I look forward to the 2021 San Diego virtual kick-off!
Why do you participate in the 3-Day?
In 2002, I only knew one person who was affected by breast cancer. My aunt had passed away long before the advances in treatment that are available today. In her memory and as a personal physical challenge, I made the commitment to train, fundraise, and take the 3-Day journey. All it took was one experience, and I was “hooked.” The 3-Day mission is always my main reason for joining, and the experiences, people, joy, and friendships keep me participating every year.
What does being named an AVEENO® Champion mean to you?
The 3-Day brings awareness to breast cancer and our commitment to find a cure. As a major part of that effort, Susan G. Komen and 3-Day participants focus on health and well-being. In turn, AVEENO® products emphasize well-being, and being named one of the Champions means that together, we will bring health into the spotlight. It is an honor to be one of the AVEENO® Champions.
Julie “Alaska Julie” J.
Tell me about your 3-Day experience?
I have participated in 25 events — walked 23 and crewed two in Arizona, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Diego, Seattle, New England, Michigan, and Philadelphia. I wish I could remember how many in each city, but I can’t! I also did a solo 3-Day in Alaska this summer…so really I count that I’ve done 26 events, but the Alaska one wasn’t official.
Why do you participate in the 3-Day?
I did my first event not knowing anyone who had breast cancer. I was sitting in my apartment in Arizona when I saw a commercial for the 3-Day. I was at a point in my life when I needed to do something for others. I figured I would do one and be done. Boy, was I wrong. Once I learned more and met so many amazing people involved in the 3-Day, I knew I had to keep walking and raising awareness and money for breast cancer. I will continue to do so till there is a cure. I have learned so much to be able to help friends and strangers who have been diagnosed. I also put together chemo and radiation boxes for people and also serve as a chemo partner if they need one.
What does being named an AVEENO® Champion mean to you?
First, I already use AVEENO®. It is cold and dry in Alaska in the winter. I am excited to spread the word that AVEENO® is a new sponsor for the 3-Day, to let people going through treatment know how AVEENO® can help them, and how AVEENO® is supporting Susan G. Komen. I am also happy to represent and spread the word about Komen and the 3-Day.
Carolyn P.
Tell me about your 3-Day experience?
I created a team, Feet to Beat Breast Cancer, in 2005. This will be our 16th year walking —– 14 in Atlanta, one in San Diego, and now we’re going to Chicago in 2021 — where we will surpass our $1,000,000 fundraising milestone! We have an absolutely amazing group, which now includes both my teenage sons!
Why do you participate in the 3-Day?
I cannot NOT participate. My mom, sister and several close friends and teammates have battled breast cancer. I have lost two of those teammates, both young moms. I have seen so much pain, suffering and loss. The 3-Day gives me hope. Susan G. Komen has facilitated incredible progress in all facets of this disease, and I am proud to be a part of that. My team and the people I have met through the walk have had a profound impact on my life. It is truly a gift to be able to share the road and the journey with tremendous men and women while raising money for breast cancer research and patient support.
What does being named an AVEENO® Champion mean to you?
I am very honored to be named an AVEENO® Champion! As a loyal customer, I was excited to hear AVEENO® would serve as a sponsor of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day series. I respect the company not only for its product excellence, but for its commitment to wellness. “We are committed to healthy, holistic practices that ensure we always do right by you, your family and the planet.” I am proud to support this company who is so generously giving back!
Kerrie K.
Tell me about your 3-Day experience?
I walked the Atlanta 3-Day in 2017 & 2018, the San Diego 3-Day in 2019, and I am walking Dallas/Fort Worth and San Diego in 2021 — I can’t wait!
Why do you participate in the 3-Day?
It does not matter where we come from, who we are, or what country we live in. We all are connected as the human race in knowing someone that is battling breast cancer. It’s awful, isn’t it? I lost my mom, aunts, and friends to cancer, but I have also seen remission in others. We all have our purpose in our lives, and we are all Mighty Pink Warriors. This is my purpose — to raise money, walk for those who can’t, and give hope to others. Hopefully, this world will be without cancer someday! I love that possibility.
What does being named an AVEENO® Champion mean to you?
I am so happy and honored to part to be part of this wonderful opportunity with Susan G. Komen and AVEENO® in our fight against breast cancer. Together, we can give men and women hope in the fight against breast cancer!
Thanks to AVEENO® for their continued support of the 3-Day, and congratulations again to our AVEENO® Champions!
On the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, we create an atmosphere of love, acceptance and kindness. Some of us fondly call this the Pink Bubble. In the Pink Bubble, we live by a few simple tenets:
1. Be kind. 2. Have fun. 3. Make new friends. 4. No whining. 5. Give hugs and high fives freely. 6. Don’t be afraid to cry. and 7. We are all in this together.
We also try to carry those tenets into our regular lives when we leave a 3-Day event and travel back home.
Current times are making it difficult to make new friends and give hugs and high fives freely. But our first tenet is one that doesn’t cost anything, you can do it from the safety of your home and it comes naturally for many of our walkers and others throughout the country.
A few of our 3-Day walkers and crew members have shared how they are spreading acts of kindness to help their communities, bring smiles to people’s faces and spreading that Pink Bubble love.
Sandy K. (20-time Walker): “I am writing daily notes to medical and first/frontline responders, as well as senior housing patients. GirlsLoveMail’s Gina M. gets letters to breast cancer treatment patients. Many of us are doing a lot; perhaps some don’t know what to do. We have an army we can mobilize in so many ways. I am lost without my volunteer work opportunities right now…so this is how I course correct. Having a purpose is serving me well.”
Lynne M. (7-time Medical Crew): “In many ways 25 years of critical care nursing did not prepare me for what is happening now, but in the most important ways it did. My knowledge of isolation procedures, my experience treating patients, my compassion…these are the things that give me not only hope, but also give me comfort in this time of so much ‘fear of the unknown.’
As a hospital educator, one of my jobs is to make sure that EVERY person who may be exposed has the right PPE and knows how to use it. Right now, it is a BIG job. On the front lines, I see nurses helping each other more than ever before. I see ancillary departments stepping up to make sure that if the surge hits, we will be prepared. I see staff risking everything to be at the bedside of the dying patient who is not allowed to have any visitors.
As a 3-Day volunteer for many years I know what the bubble feels like. I feel that bubble at work these days and I am thankful.”
Sandee H. (1-time Walker): “I’m sewing fabric masks for senior retirement community…keeping residents and staff safe?.”
Kathy P. (12-time Walker and 3-time Crew): “I’m making masks and scrub hats for my EMS and nursing coworkers. Any money people want to pay is being asked to be donated to my 3-Day fundraising this year.”
Jamie W. (2-time Walker and 3-time Crew): is a nurse in Texas who has decided to help on the front lines in New York.
Kathleen B. (9-time Walker and 8-time Crew): “I’m repurposing the chalk in my crew box and writing notes on the sidewalk to inspire others!”
Jacqueline B. (First-time Walker in 2020): “I’m making masks to donate and bracelets to put a smile on someone’s face. It keeps me busy and feels good. ?”
Michele. (14-time Walker and 2-time Crew): An administrative assistant for the city of Cartersville, GA, Michele has been coming to work each day at the fire station to help support first responders.
Julie J. (23-time Walker and 2-time Crew): “Every morning I start the day singing a song with my morning coffee on Facebook live.”
Pala L. (35-time Walker): “Perhaps I can’t sew masks, but my husband, Tom, and I did find a way to help! We’ve joined with volunteers at Angels Wear Gowns to assemble (at home) these simple no-sew plastic gowns for workers needing extra protection caring for COVID patients. If you have scissors, a marker and some clips/clothespins, everything else is provided. Or perhaps you — or someone you know — may be able to donate supplies.”
What are you doing to spread kindness during these unprecedented times? Share in the comments below or on social media by tagging @The3Day on Facebook or Twitter and @Komen3Day on Instagram and using the hashtag #3DayTogether.
