Valentine’s Day Themed Fundraising Ideas

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With one week until Valentine’s Day, the countdown to love is on! Aside from all the fun and romance of the holiday, this time of year is also perfect for 3-Day fundraising efforts. Spread the love, and help raise funds for the fight to end breast cancer, by tailoring your fundraising efforts to the holiday. We have some ideas from our team to get you started!

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Send out unique fundraising letters:

Take your 3-Day fundraising letters up a notch with a special Valentine donation request! These pasta-decorated cards are easy to make and will put a smile on everyone’s face.

You can also sell the cards for people to send as their own Valentines.

Spread love you can wear:

Make and sell festive paper flowers or hair bows that you can wear throughout your 3-Day walk. Encourage people to buy a pin or bow and then you can take photos of yourself sporting the donations over the course of 60 miles.

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Try some puppy love:

If you have a pooch, set up a dog kissing booth in your front yard! You can always do your own, personal kissing booth too, but people will love a kiss from your furry friend. Accept donations for a smooch, and put them towards your 3-Day goal. Thanks to coach Joanne Taylor for this fun idea!

Or kisses of a different kind:

Eileen Barnick, Twin Cities 3-Day coach, suggests filling small mason jars with a variety of Hershey’s Kiss flavors and selling them as sweet Valentine fundraisers. You can even decorate the jars and accompany them with notes like:

“Hugs and Kisses just for you!”

This idea can also apply to chocolate heart shaped candy, cinnamon heart-shaped candy or even candy hearts (which come with ready-made notes).

Photo via Martha Stewart

Get your foodie on:

If you’re an expert baker, or general culinary extraordinaire, you can try any number of love-filled cupcakes and host a bake sale next weekend…right before Valentine’s Day! If you’re not as comfortable in the kitchen, you can still spread sweetness with this Oreo cookie bark recipe.

You can then take a leaf out of Michigan coach Ann Love’s book and ask for an extra donation to hand deliver the baked goods to loved ones for the holiday. Baked goods are the best kind of snail mail!

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Personalize your Participant Center emails:

There is a special email template in your Participant Center with a Valentine-themed fundraising message and photo. Log in to your Participant Center, click Compose Email in the right-hand menu, then select “Create Your Own Message” and the “Valentine’s Day Fundraising Ask” layout. Add your personal message and a sweet Valentine’s note and photo will appear at the top of your emails.

How are you celebrating the holiday? Tell us your fundraising ideas, or just spread some love, in the comments!

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Motivation Monday: What Walking Can Do for You

It’s a new week, and the first full week of a new month. We should be ready to jump out of bed and take on the day! That’s not always the case though, because Mondays can be hard. Luckily, we have another dose of Monday Motivation to jump start your weekly training for the 3-Day. One easy way to get moving is to remember all the benefits of walking—physical, mental and emotional. Here are some of the life-changing benefits of taking those extra steps:

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It reduces the risk of developing breast cancer: According to research conducted by Susan G. Komen^®, women who get any regular exercise or physical activity have a lower risk of breast cancer than women who are inactive.

It helps curb a sweet tooth: One good move begets another! Once you get out and moving, you’ll probably also want to treat your body well on the inside. Try one of our smoothie recommendations after your walk to keep your health-kick moving.

It will get you outside: We’re right in the heart of winter, which means you are spending more time inside than in other times of year. Getting outside gives you Vitamin D from the sun, and also a nice bit of fresh air! Working out in the gym is good too, but if you can get outside, it will help you feel even more invigorated.

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It promotes heart health: Heart health is hugely important for your vitality, so getting out for a walk can help your health now and in the long run. Plus, February is Heart Health Month, so your walk is actually a celebration!

A little bit goes a long way: You don’t need to have an intense exercise routine to lower your risk of breast cancer. If you haven’t been doing much training yet, just getting up and getting moving will help you look good, feel good and kick start your training for future walks.

It keeps you social: Make a Friend Day is coming up on February 11^th, so grab your teammates or other friends and lace up your walking shoes. It’s a great way to pencil in some catch-up time with someone you haven’t seen in a while or start a walking club with a group. Being around friends will always help put a smile on your face!

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It’s a mood booster: Any physical activity, walking included, can help with your overall mood and energy level. Guess that’s why they call it putting some pep in your step!

What other benefits do you get from walking, besides training for an excellent sixty miles, that is!?

REMINDER: The health, safety and training information contained in this blog post, or otherwise provided to you in connection with your participation in the 3-Day, is not intended to replace or be construed as medical advice and any such information is not a substitute for seeking medical advice or treatment from your medical provider. Before starting any exercise program or following any recommendations, advice or other instructions regarding training for the 3-Day or any athletic event, you should first consult a physician and have a physical examination.

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Feb. 4 is World Cancer Day, but the 3-Day Gives us Hope

Cancer. It’s a word that conjures the worst kind of fear; a heartless disease that devastates families around the globe. The word alone is no doubt powerful as it is, but it develops an increased gravity when it affects your family, your friends, and your life.

But, there is hope. Currently, there are more than 3 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Together we have accomplished amazing things in the fight to end breast cancer.

Cancer changes lives, but so does hope. And thanks to you, today, we have a lot of it.

With all of the hard work you do to end breast cancer, how could we possibly ask you to do more? The answer is simple: because we have to. We cannot give up until this fight is won. We firmly believe that when we make progress and advancements in treating and curing one form of cancer, we can apply those learnings to another, until we can proudly live in a world free from all cancer.

In 2016, Susan G. Komen^® announced a Bold Goal—to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50% in the U.S. by 2026. That’s why we walk, and raise money—to make that goal a reality. Please ask your family and friends to join you today on the 3-Day. They can take $20 off their registration fee through February 15, and walk by your side knowing that they’re doing something that’s making a real difference in the fight.

The 3-Day is a commitment. It’s a challenge. It’s a real, measurable impact on the fight to end breast cancer forever. Be Bold. Be Fearless. Be More Than Pink™.

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