Meet the 3-Day Team: Karen Odell, Atlanta Coach

We are lucky to work with some of the best in our 3-Day family. From coaches to volunteer coordinators to event planners, we are always working to make your sixty miles the best they can be! With that in mind, we are highlighting some of our amazing team members each month, so you can get to know the people working to help you every day.

Our 3-Day rock star of the month is Karen Odell, a new coach for our Atlanta 3-Day. She will be out and about in the community, working with our amazing participants to help bring new walkers and more awareness to the Atlanta 3?Day this year.

Karen has just re-joined the 3-Day team working with a lung cancer non-profit, and she is very happy to be settled in with the Atlanta 3-Day team.

“I love the nature trails along the river. We have several miles of hiking that take you along beautiful hilly stretches and lead to lovely views of the Chattahoochee River!”

The trails are perfect for 3-Day training for Atlanta natives, and walkers from all cities should keep an eye out for Karen on the event.

“I am looking forward to reconnecting with participants and volunteers who I haven’t seen in a few years. It is wonderful to see how many are still engaged with the event!”

That includes Karen herself, who became involved with the 3-Day after realizing she had a true passion for cancer research fundraising. She then turned that passion into her daily work, and now focuses her work “to drive registrations to the best of my ability, to connect and communicate with participants on a personal level and to ensure that the event experience is of the highest standard.”

Have a question or a concern? Don’t worry! Karen says the 3-Day is “easier than you expect,” and encourages first-time walkers, potential walkers, and even veterans to reach out to her.

“We are available to coach and mentor you through the journey and have the tools to make sure you succeed. I think when we have the opportunity to meet face-to-face and introduce new participants to our seasoned veterans, they are put at ease and realize this event is something they can do!”

That support also helps participants to create their own experience as they trek those 60 miles.

“The 3-Day is unique for each participant because everyone comes to it with a different perspective and world view. When they arrive on event, all the training and hard work culminate in an experience that unfolds as uniquely their own. Although the experience is shared with many, each person creates their own personal journey.”

Want to know more about Karen’s journey? Offer her a trip to Greece or some seriously good seafood, and she just might tell you! These are a few of the Southern girl’s favorite things, along with tunes by Florence and the Machine, The Eurhythmics, Paul Simon and Prince.

our family

Plus, if she ever needs a new career, she could always be a chef or an actress! She earned a culinary degree, and was also an extra on Saturday Night Live before joining the 3-Day team. So, when you see her on the Atlanta 3-Day, feel free to tell her a joke or share a recipe, as well as asking any of your questions about the 3-Day.

See you in Atlanta!

Susan G. Komen 3-Day Impact Forums

This past year was an amazing Susan G. Komen 3-Day^® season for me. I completed my first full year as 3-Day Specialist for Susan G. Komen^®, walked in my very first Komen 3-Day in San Diego with my mom, and had a chance to interact and foster relationships with many participants throughout the 2016 events.

Over the past two months, I had the honor of speaking at the Komen Impact Forums that were held in our seven host cities: Dallas/Fort Worth, Michigan, Twin Cities, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Diego and Seattle. I know not everyone was able to attend, so I wanted to share some of the most important information that was presented at the forums as well as point you to a recorded version of the presentation here.

Hopefully you have heard of the Bold Goal announced by Komen. The goal is to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50% in the U.S. by 2026. This can’t be accomplished without you, and our 2017 Komen Impact Forums were a chance for us to share the details of the Bold Goal and how everyone (Komen Headquarters, Affiliates, 3-Day^® participants, Race for the Cure^® participants) is needed to make that goal a reality.

It’s clear that the 3-Day family is More Than Pink™. This means that while today, pink equals awareness, tomorrow, More Than Pink equals action. You are not a group to get lost in a crowd of pink and you all do one of the biggest things you can do in the fight against breast cancer. You all are much more than just a color; you are the most dedicated, passionate and loyal group of supporters in the Komen community. From fundraising, training, advocating and educating, the 3-Day community does incredible work for Komen year-round and truly embodies what it means to make an impact and to be More Than Pink.

As mentioned last year, we are committed to transparency and working to give you the details you need. We want to provide you with better insight into how Komen is working toward our mission and what our plans are for the future.

Here are the steps we’re taking toward that goal:

We’ve updated some easy reference toolsyou can use for fundraising, to show your donors and supporters how their dollars go to work, and to answer the hard questions they have about Komen. These pieces are posted here. This page is also home to our Komen Mission Webinars as well as additional resources regarding Komen.
We are continuing to meet with the advisory council of 3-Day participants from each host city as well as participants from across the country. We just made our selections for the 2017/2018 council and had our first meeting at the beginning of April. This group is comprised of participants with varying perspectives and participation experiences. This is our way of giving the 3-Day community a voice.
We’ve expanded our mission resources to connect the 3-Day community directly with our researchers. This includes our Sidewalks to Science bi-monthly webinar and blog series. There is a face and story behind every part of the community, especially research, and we want to connect you to it!

Those of you who have been with the 3-Day for years have seen the series grow and change—expanding and then contracting, both in participation and fundraising. We know you’re concerned. We’ve heard your worries. We, too, want to reverse the trend and see the 3-Day begin to grow again. We have been exploring various avenues to make that happen and are always adapting and changing our methods to make sure we are seeing results.

This isn’t going to happen through traditional advertising. Major media buys just don’t make sense in this climate and with the people we’re trying to reach. We looked very closely and strategically at the best way to bring participants to the 3-Day and while TV and radio ads have worked in the past—maybe some of you first heard about the 3-Day on TV—they simply aren’t working anymore. The biggest piece of this is that traditional advertising is expensive and unadaptable. We want to invest in ways that make sense financially and can adapt to the people we need to reach.

To that end, we’ve been investing in you, our 3-Day family. We turned our focus toward the future and continuing off the momentum of our 150^th 3-Day Celebration from 2016, we’re now celebrating the 3-Day’s 15^th Anniversary. We are continuing with various travel/referral programs that motivate and reward you, the folks that keep coming back every year. But I also want to mention that we haven’t given up on advertising; we’ve simply changed our strategy. This year, we are investing in some digital/social media marketing to help reach audiences we’ve never reached before. This form of advertising is much more cost-effective, trackable and adaptable (meaning we can change the ad quickly if it isn’t yielding results, something TV can’t do). We are committed to trying several methods until we get results.

We all want the same thing—more people, more money raised, and more impact, so that one day no one else dies from breast cancer. We at Komen are prepared to dig deep to support you. The 3-Day is on its way to raising 1 billion dollars—and we still believe we can reach that mark by 2020. We will never give up!

I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to connect with so many 3-Day participants over the last couple of months. It’s always great when I have the chance to see you in person outside of the event season. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to this mission and for being More Than Pink.

– Amber Livingston, 3-Day Specialist

Bringing Your Bestie to the 3-Day is the Best

A best friend is a powerful thing. They make you laugh, support you when you’re down, challenge and drive you to be better, and sometimes know you even better than you know yourself. All this, and more, makes a best friend a pretty perfect partner to have at your side on the 3-Day.

Bring your bestie, and this year could be your best 3-Day yet! If you need more convincing, we have stories from coaches and walkers about how their besties brought them into the 3-Day family and helped them take those extra steps to get through all 60 miles. We also have several promotions this month that can bring you and your besties to the 3-Day in style. Read on for inspiration, information, and smiles!

Stephanie Jo from Facebook – “Walking with you got me through, Jessi Wendland! We were walking for 2 amazing Julies [my aunt Julie & her mom Julie].”

Tisho Jessop, Philadelphia Participant Coach: “My BFF got me started on this whole adventure! In January of 2008 she called me and said “I keep seeing these TV ads for a 60-mile breast cancer walk. Is that something we should do?”

Judith and I have been friends since 1988. We were roommates after college, we were each other’s Maid/Matron of Honor and we both have a connection to breast cancer. Both of her grandmothers had it (one passed from it and the other was a survivor who passed of another cause). When Judith called me I was in the midst of losing my Aunt Barbara, who died about 5 weeks later.

We went to a Get Started Meeting and ended up forming Team BFF to walk the 3-Day that October. It was such a bonding experience and we loved every minute of it. 11 events, 9 years and $27,000 later I’m still an avid 3-Dayer and I will always be grateful that my BFF knew this would be a healing and passion-finding event for me.”

Faren Ann from Twitter: “One of my favorite walking friends shares a birthday with me (next Monday!) I am so happy she is part of my life bcuz of #the3day!”

She also later shared that her friend Laura “is bringing some great friends to Philly who I am looking forward to loving as much as I ?? her!”

Julie Bagel, also from Twitter, had a similar story! She and Faren connected when she shared: “Small world, because TWO of my favorite walking friends share a birthday! 😉 xoxo”

Gayla Cruikshank, Dallas/Fort Worth Local Events Coach: “I hosted a Walk & Talk recently where I met up with Jeri Cliff (front left) with Angels for the Cure along with her daughter, Khristy and granddaughter, Bailie.

Jeri decided after the 2016 Michigan 3-Day that she would “retire” and hang up her 3-Day walking shoes. That was until her granddaughter, Bailie turned 16 in March and was finally eligible to participate as a walker. Bailie has been supporting and cheering for her grandmother for the past five years from the cheer stations. She let her mom and grandmother know that she wanted to walk this year. When the VIP Slumber Party promotion was launched, Jeri figured this was a perfect opportunity to “come out of retirement” and walk with her daughter and granddaughter for their first event.”

If you haven’t heard of our Slumber Party promotion, don’t worry, there’s still time! Now through April 19^th, if you recruit two new walkers to register for the 3-Day, you earn a VIP Slumber Party or two-night hotel stay. The VIP tent sleeps four people, so there is plenty of room for you and your best friends. It comes with comfy blow-up mattresses, phone chargers, specialty 3-Day pajama bottoms and more! Talk about a best friend glamping weekend!

To learn even more about bringing your besties to the 3-Day with you, we will have a special Facebook Live chat with Coach Gayla this week! On Thursday, April 13th at 10:00 a.m. Coach Gayla of Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day coaches will talk with Jeri, Sue, and Rhonda as they share their tips and tricks for growing your team, getting ready for the 3-Day, and all the fun promotions we have going on now. Don’t miss it!

What are some of your favorite memories of the 3-Day with your best friends? Share in the comments!