2017 Susan G. Komen Dallas/Fort Worth Route Preview

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Our Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day is just a week away and boy is the Lone Star State ready for our 3-Dayers! As you all pack, make last minute preparations, and take your final training walks, we have a preview of the route to get you even more excited for your upcoming 60-mile journey.

The 3-Day begins at the Colin Creek Mall in Plano, TX and walks much of the same route as in past years.

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Be sure to look out for a very special group of cheerleaders after pit stop 1 on Friday.

Coach Gayla promises that we will be walking by Aldridge Elementary School students first thing in the morning. “The students are SO excited to see us!” That, combined with the cheering station at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, will keep you going strong on to lunch.

In the afternoon, Cottonwood and Anderson Bonner Parks will provide nice shade, and lots of beautiful photo ops. Then the day will end at our camp at Brookhaven College, which has been our camp spot for the last few years.

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Coach Gayla says, “We love this location! It’s such a great outdoor space, so we are talking to Mother Nature about giving us good weather to sleep under the stars.”

After a nice rest, our walkers will take on Day 2, which has some new sights this year. After pit stop 1, we will be going back over the Big Blue Bridge in Addison. We took this route a few years ago, and have it back on our route this year because it provides a great photo opportunity!

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After lunch, we will be walking through Dallas and Addison, throughout Addison Circle and Vitruvian Parks. There will be a special public cheering station in Vitruvian Park, right before we enter camp, and Coach Gayla says this is her favorite part of the day.

The day doesn’t end once you enter camp though! Remember to stay for our fun camp dance party from 5:30 – 8:30 pm! Friends and family are welcome!

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The Jordan Kahn Music Company is bringing the Manhattan Party Band to our camp! Manhattan features the best musicians and performers from all over Texas, and they will be jamming to dance hits from a variety genres and decades…from Motown to the hits of today! It will be a not-to-miss night!

Then we will kick off Day Three, which has some new sights and spots along the route. It is also a little bit of a shorter Sunday walk this year, which our walkers will appreciate!

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In downtown Dallas, we will visit Main Street, with some local businesses who are very excited to be cheering on the walkers as they pass.

“We will also pass a bunch of parks on Main Street, so there will be a new look and lots of fun cheering stations along that part of Day Three!” Coach Gayla enthuses.

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The Closing Ceremony is also in a new spot on The Lawn at Reunion Tower, which will be lit up pink just for us! Participants and supporters can go up to the top of the tower either before or after the ceremony for a great city view.

“It’s the iconic, downtown Dallas area,” says Coach Gayla. “The participant finish area is a big, beautiful park area that’s also very comfortable for our walkers!”

All in all, it will be a great big, pink bubble of fun in Dallas/Fort Worth! Get ready for another amazing 60 miles!

Fundraising Friday for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day: Spooktacular Ideas

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Halloween is around the corner! Do you have your tricks and treats ready? In honor of this spooky holiday, we have some fun and easy fundraising ideas that you can put into action this weekend! Whether you are walking in one of our final 2017 3-Days, or you want to get a jump on your 2018 fundraising goals, these are fun and festive ideas you can put into action.

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Movie Night

There are so many fun spooky movies that the whole family can still enjoy for this holiday! Whether you project one on a screen outside or cuddle up inside for a bit of a scare, getting your team and/or potential donors together for a movie night is a fun and easy way to gather your 3-Day support system around you this season. Hand out mini s’more packs for a takeaway, and put a little reminder about your fundraising goal and link on the pack! You’ll wake up the next morning to a lot of love.

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Pumpkin Party

Carve. Paint. Glitter. Decorate. There is no wrong way to approach your pumpkin décor! Challenge your friends to create the most 3-Day-inspired pumpkin for their homes and create a whole outdoor, 3-Day pumpkin festival at your house as well! Then place a sign, and handouts near your pumpkins to encourage people to donate to your cause.

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Trick or Treat for the Cause

When your kids or friends are trick or treating this year, make use of the night out! While the youngsters pick their candy, hand your neighbors an informational sheet about the 3-Day and let them know you are walking! Remind them that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Encourage them to leave a little Halloween treat on your donation page in honor of sweet Halloween fun.

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Keep it Sweet

If you wait until the day after Halloween, you can get tons of candy for a bargain price! Make little sweet treat packets, and drop them off on November 1^st on the doorsteps of potential donors. It’s a minimal investment on your part, and the sweet reminder to donate will make them smile.

Extra, Extra – Check out this post to see a 3-Dayer’s brilliant trick-or-treat 3-Day costume idea!

What are your favorite fundraising ideas for the season? Tell us in the comments – and have a sweet and safe Halloween

Susan G. Komen 3-Day Fundraising Dollars: See Your Impact Locally with Our Infographics

In 2016 Susan G. Komen announced a Bold Goal to reduce the number of current breast cancer deaths in the United States by 50% by the year 2026. That means that each dollar raised, and each step walked in the 3-Day is working towards that Bold Goal.

Dollars raised by 3-Day participants also go towards funding local research grants community health programs. This year, Komen announced $30.7 million in research funding for 98 research grants nationwide, which will predominantly focus on discovering new treatments, as well as improving our understanding of the most lethal forms of breast cancer. These grants and research are critical in helping us move closer to achieving Komen’s Bold Goal.

To fully understand your direct impact in our work, Komen released the direct impact that local research dollars has in all our local 3-Day markets. Last year, fundraising dollars contributed to the 160 total research grants in the state of Pennsylvania, and funded 186 career investigators in California.

To see the direct impact of the 3-Day in 2017, and all your hard work, look up your home state in the infographics below. These are also great informational resources to share with potential donors, or to send to donors from this year’s walks to show them just how much their support means.

Michigan

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