Category Archives: General

Crewing for a Cure – A 3-Day guest post by Meghan of JaMonkey.com

They’re the first people you see in the morning on the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. They’re the ones cheering you on when you get sore. They take your plate with a smile, so you don’t have to walk to the trash. They are the crew members who volunteered their time to help support your 60-mile journey.

I got a chance to volunteer and walk during the Susan G. Komen Atlanta 3-Day. When I was on the event, I took the time to ask lots of questions to the crew members around me and I was moved by what I found out. They are past walkers, husbands, friends, family, kids, and even survivors. They all said the same thing to me. “We’ve all been touched in some way by breast cancer.”

Meet the group that is cheering you on when all you want to do is stop. They are handing out stickers and holding signs, jumping up and down with pom-poms yelling “You’re doing so great, you’re almost there!” I asked a lovely woman from Florida why she wanted to be a part of the 3-Day crew, and she explained to me that she is a survivor. She walked during her treatment and since then felt that it was her duty to give back by helping others. She has plans of walking again but until that day, she will serve on the crew. The same sweet woman hugged me before my walk and gave me great words of encouragement came and found me at the end of the day too to see how it went. I felt like I had my own personal cheerleader in the crowd. It was an amazing feeling.

3-Day Crew

Meet the route safety team. They decorate their bikes and play fun music along the route and block off intersections to make sure you’re safe. I asked a member of the safety team why she volunteered to help out. She too was a survivor who has walked in the past. She remembered during her walk how much she enjoyed seeing the route safety team and their fun decorated bikes that she said she wanted to do that one day as well.

Youth Corps

Let the Youth Corps brighten your day. This is a group of kids who applied for the role of cheering you on and lifting your spirits. The kids told me all about interviewing multiple times to be a part of the group. The day that I walked I found the Youth Corps at each of the pit stops and lunch. They were picking up trash, filling up water bottles, and getting snacks for walkers. My favorite thing that the Youth Corps did were the fun cheers and songs. These kids had such great energy and spirit, as a walker, I really appreciated them.

It’s the little things like someone offering to take your picture in front of the mile marker sign or handing your dinner plate over with a big smile. They know the struggle on different levels, but they are all there together for one reason, a cure. There were so many crew members who were survivors and past walkers that I was taken aback by the passion they had for helping those walking. Walking is tough, it’s hard on the body. But not as hard as cancer and treatment. I get it now. It’s more than a walk. You become a part of a community that all have one thing in common. They want to do something big to end breast cancer forever.

Read more about the 3-Day crew and how you can sign up at The3Day.org/Crew. Also, visit Meghan’s blog at JaMonkey.com!

Catching Up With the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Coaches

Before last year’s Susan G. Komen 3-Day® series, we introduced the local coaches from each Komen 3-Day. These are the staff members who support the walkers and crew members all year round, answering phone calls and emails, hosting community events, assigning crew captains and juggling dozens of other tasks to make sure that the 3-Day® participants make it to their events excited and well prepared.

Since we gave you the coaches’ full profiles last year, we’ll delight you with just a fun update before each event this year. This week, we catch up with the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day coaches (you can read last year’s “Meet the Dallas/Fort Worth Coaches” here)!

DFW coaches Aug 2015 reunion.2

Liz, Val, Gayla

What was your favorite memory from the 2014 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day?

Liz (Dallas/Fort Worth Participant Coach) – It was all so wonderful. I loved meeting everyone who I had talked to and encouraged throughout the year. One memory that stands out was of a young man who was walking his first 3-Day and had recently lost his wife. She had always wanted to walk the 3-Day but was not able to, so he did it for her. I saw him at the finish area. It had been very hard and emotional for him. We just hugged each other while he wept.liz_vehicles

Gayla (Dallas/Fort Worth Local Events Coach) – My favorite memory from the 2014 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day was gathering with participants before the Opening Ceremony. I made my mark as the “group-selfie queen” in 2014. Be ready for even more in 2015! I also loved seeing my daughter and my mom participate as part of the sweep crew, and seeing my other daughter walk as part of the Young Women Walking program.2014 DFW memory 3

Val (Dallas/Fort Worth Crew & Volunteer Coordinator) – Nothing can compare to the Thursday before the event, known as the All-Crew Kick-Off. The excitement of seeing everyone come together and reunite in preparation for an amazing weekend always gives me that extra boost of energy and love. Last year’s All-Crew Kick-Off was no exception. In fact, it was the most rewarding moment for me as I saw all my crew captains who I had worked with for the past six months gather with their crews and enter into the leadership roles they had prepared so hard for. The pride and joy in that day helped me soar through the rest of the weekend. 11825001_10153687789417214_1080729970874180136_n

Fun facts about the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Coaches – Can you guess which fun fact is true about which coach? (There are 3 facts about each coach; answers will be at the end of the San Diego 3-Day coaches’ check-in next month!)

  1. I have had cats my entire life and almost all of them have had unusual names. My first cat I named BOODAY because we got her on Halloween (yes, all caps…I was three at the time). Another cat was named Snowball and one of my current cats is named Fidget.
  2. I learned to ski in the Alps.
  3. I’ve been a lunch lady and a crossing guard in the same year.
  4. I am a voracious reader, many times reading up to 4 different books at a time.
  5. I was once on the winning pig wrestling team.
  6. From kindergarten through high school, I attended 11 different schools.
  7. I’ve tried surfing, but I’m terrible at it.
  8. When I was born I was extremely premature (less than 4 lbs) and I was so small could fit in my uncle’s shirt pocket.
  9. I was in the Army and had intentions to be a Drill Sargent.

 

Looking for the answers from the Atlanta 3-Day Coaches’ Fun Facts post? Here they are!

 

1) Susan; 2) Tara; 3) Susan; 4) Susan; 5) Libby; 6) Tara; 7) Libby; 8) Tara; 9) Libby

2015 Atlanta 3-Day Wrap-up

The Susan G. Komen Atlanta 3-Day has finished for another year, and we could not be more thankful for this amazing community and the memorable weekend we shared.

We gathered in the pre-dawn hours on Friday morning at Stone Mountain Park, a breathtaking backdrop as the sun rose just in time for us to begin the 3-Day journey. The incomparable Dr. Sheri was joined on stage by Chrissy Mathews from Susan G. Komen®, as well as Tara, our local events coach in Atlanta, for a moving Opening Ceremony.IMG_2413 IMG_2375

Walkers set out onto the route, weaving the first few miles through the beautiful park. After a quick break at the pit stop 1, walkers exited the park and hit the streets and a cheering station in Old Historic Stone Mountain Village.IMG_2472IMG_2941 From there, walkers looped through the communities west of Atlanta, making their way toward the city. They passed through the quaint downtown Decatur area, where they were greeted with another cheering station and pit stop 2.IMG_2819 A longer break greeted the walkers at lunch, which was one big pajama party, and from there, the route passed through the eclectic neighborhood of Little Five Points. Crew teams at pit stops 3 and 4 kept walkers pumped up and fueled up in the afternoon.IMG_2784 IMG_3048 As they headed into the downtown Atlanta area, walkers passed by Centennial Olympic Park, built for visitors and spectators of the 1996 Olympic Summer Games. Soon, they had arrived at camp at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Friday night’s camp show, hosted by Dr. Sheri and Chrissy, was emotional. We heard from the Greater Atlanta Affiliate of Susan G. Komen, who told us about the ways that the 3-Day helps fund programs in Atlanta. This was followed by moving speeches from Julie H., who talked about the realities of living with Stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer, and Karen, speaking on behalf of her friend and teammate Rachel who passed away from breast cancer about a month ago. We also recognized Atlanta’s top training walk leader and the Atlanta 3-Day Milestone Award winner.

On Day 2, walkers set out from camp and headed north for the day. Much of Day 2 was spent in the community of Buckhead, where walkers enjoyed the New Balance cheerleaders at a lovely tree-lined pit stop.IMG_2982 IMG_3105 Yes, there were hills a-plenty on Saturday, but the beautiful scenery and dazzling homes (including the Governor’s mansion) gave the walkers plenty to look at as they climbed. Numerous cheer stations along the way kept weary walkers motivated; a favorite was a grassy stop just before lunch with some lovable pooches who came out to support the walkers.IMG_3088 IMG_3181 The lunch stop was at the Greater Atlanta Komen Affiliate headquarters, complete with a pink-dyed fountain, and dozens of Komen Atlanta’s people came out to cheer the walkers in.IMG_3184 As they headed back toward camp, walkers passed by some of downtown Atlanta’s most popular tourist spots, including the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola.IMG_3061

The camp show on Saturday night was a flurry of awards, as we recognized Atlanta’s top fundraisers and Local Impact Award winners. We heard a touching, and at times funny speech from Gerald, a 10-time walker who shared his story of being a co-survivor to his first two wives, both of whom passed from breast cancer. The Saturday camp show was topped off with some heart-touching messages from the Atlanta Youth Corps, who were the perfect inspirations to kick off the always popular Saturday dance party.

The amount of get-up-and-go at the start of Day 3 was incredible, especially from walkers who had already covered over 40 miles of their journey.IMG_3425 The route started out with a stroll and a pit stop on the beautiful Georgia Tech campus, and from there, walkers headed into Piedmont Park, one of Atlanta’s loveliest parks.IMG_3470 IMG_3536 The lunch stop was rocking once again, as walkers relaxed on the cool sunny day and crew members treated tehm to a non-stop dance-a-thon. A highlight of the afternoon was a walk past the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site before turning towards Turner Field, the site of our Atlanta 3-Day Closing Ceremony.IMG_3846

Walkers crossed the finish line at Turner Field, where hundreds of friends and family members waited to welcome them (and one special guy proposed to his gal as she crossed under the arch!).IMG_3864 IMG_3883 IMG_3925 The unbelievable energy that Atlanta walkers and crew members showed all weekend long seemed to be turned up even more at the Closing Ceremony, where Dr. Sheri, Chrissy and Tara congratulated this amazing Atlanta family on their extraordinary journey.IMG_4003 IMG_4082 IMG_4018 IMG_4300We thanked our marvelous supporters, sponsors and local jurisdictions who helped us along our 60-mile journey, and the whole place erupted with joy when Chrissy shared that a remarkable $2.2 million was raised by Atlanta’s 800 walkers and 275 crew members. The Atlanta 3-Day family danced it out one final time, and as the final flag of the 3-Day was raised, we remembered and repeated the promise we made way back on Friday morning: to never give up our fight until we have ended breast cancer forever.IMG_4176 IMG_4294

Want to see a sneak peek of photos from the Atlanta 3-Day? Click here, and don’t forget to watch Facebook later this week for a full album you can download, tag, and share!