The Sisterhood of Rockwall, Texas

The front and reverse of Team 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Boobs' tamer outfit

The front and reverse of Team ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Boobs’ tamer outfit

“Well, our official name is of course, ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Boobs’ but we have to use a more generic team name for our community fundraisers!” exclaimed the women before the last day of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in Dallas/Fort Worth this weekend. For six women out of Rockwall, Texas, the Komen 3-Day this weekend has become a yearly event. Amber, their leader, has been walking for breast cancer research and awareness since 2001! Rhonda has been walking for six years for her aunt and another friend. “I love it!” she said this morning in great weather, ready to take on the final day of the 60-mile walk. “I’ve played soccer for a long time, so this isn’t too bad.” For Jennifer and Christina, however, who are first-timers on the long walk, the distance is taxing.

Four of the team start Day 3 of the Dallas-Fort Worth 3-Day event

Four of the team start Day 3 of the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day event

“It’s great to have everyone cheering,” said Jennifer. Christina seemed to know what was coming and was well prepared by the seasoned members of the team, who are sporting their characteristic bright greens, which seem to accent the ubiquitous pink quite well. They have enjoyed a sponsorship from a local T-shirt company who printed 75 shirts for their 5K fundraiser. In addition, their two sets of 3-Day uniforms are pretty unique. Their fundraisers have done well, too. Since 2001, they have raised over $81,000 to support breast cancer research. That’s a huge sum when many years there were only two in the team who could participate.

Team 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Boobs' enjoy the Texas sunshine on Day 3 of the Komen 3-Day in Dallas-Fort Worth

Team ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Boobs’ enjoys the Texas sunshine on Day 3 of the 3-Day in Dallas-Fort Worth

Two other women round out the six-member team: Michele and Paula. Michele’s cousin is a breast cancer survivor, and all of the women represent a team that is fully supportive of their friends and relatives who have been affected by breast cancer. “Well, we adopted one more person on this 3-Day,” says Amber. “Clark is walking alone in honor of his grandmother and he was in a tent next to us. So we told him he could walk with us!” The team seemed very relaxed, as some walked together and others were scattered along the route. Their good attitudes and friendly personalities seemed to radiant onto the last miles of the course.

Good luck to Team ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Boobs’ and to all the walkers and crew on the last day of the walk!

The Team joins the other 1200 walkers on Sunday morning to the start of the route on Day 3

The Team joins the other 1,200 walkers on Sunday morning to the start of the route on Day 3

The team shows off their characteristic green uniforms, highlighted with the pink of 3-Day

Top Fundraisers for Dallas 3-Day

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in Dallas/Fort Worth kicked off this morning to great weather and high spirits. After a fun day on the route, returning to camp was a welcome relief with the Bank of America massage chairs in full swing. During the Camp Show, the top fundraisers were announced for the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day. Here they are:

Top Crew Fundraiser: Ann Jolley, $2,995; (Camp Services)

Top Fundraising Team: Pink Soles in Motion, $160,347; (Team Captain Catrina Gibson)

Top Individual Fundraiser: Amy Kowalchyk, $17,698; (from Team ‘Save The Boobies’)

Thank you Dallas for your awesome efforts in fundraising. You are always an inspiring city!

Youth Corps’ Kimberly is ‘Relentless’

Kimberly and Jennifer prepare for the Dallas 3-Day

“That’s the only word I could think of,” said Jennifer, Kimberly C’s mother, as she watched her prepare on stage for the Opening Ceremony of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in Dallas. “Relentless. She just kept writing letters to people and kept helping out with fundraisers.” Jennifer had named her daughter Kimberly after her best friend who had passed away from breast cancer in 2002, so to have her daughter become so involved with the fight against breast cancer is more than touching. Kimberly’s great aunt has also been battling breast cancer. The Komen 3-Day is a 60-mile walk spread out over those three days, and Jennifer is actually walking for her second year in a row.

Kimberly participates in the exciting Opening Ceremony of the Susan G. Komen Dallas 3-Day

The Youth Corps, which Kimberly is participating in, is a way for kids 10-16 years of age to volunteer to assist in the fundraiser. But they have serious roles in the 3-Day® weekend, including raising at least $500. “We mailed letters to a lot of people,” said the mother-daughter combo before the big weekend kicked off. One major company was very polite and the CEO passed Kim’s letter onto a vice president, who just happened to be a breast cancer survivor. Not only did the company “make an exception” and donate $250 to Kim’s fundraising efforts, but the vice president also matched the funds herself! Kim’s relentless letter writing also got her a special gift for auction: a football signed by Saints’ Head Coach Shawn Peyton, whom Kim and Jennifer had met in the airport not long ago.

“He was really nice, and I was surprised to get it in the mail,” said Kim, who will ‘kick off’ her fundraising for next year with the auction, since it came late for 2013. Kim’s football fundraising roots seem to run deep as well, since the Texas Tech head coach kicked in a little too, and Kim was asked to come and meet him during the Tech – Baylor game.

The Dallas 3-Day seems to have come at a good time for this family. “It’s been great to see her so involved and all on her own,” said Jennifer, who thinks the challenge of the 3-Day has been rewarding for herself physically and for her daughter as a dedicated volunteer. Youth Corps duties are rigorous as they are constantly helping out on the walking route, supplying water and gatorade, helping walkers the crew with lunch, assisting with tents in camp, and providing much needed motivation throughout the day. The also offer their own part in Saturday night’s Camp Show, sharing their own stories of why they became involved with the fight against breast cancer.

A special thanks to this relentless mother and daughter duo. Say hello to them this weekend in Dallas!