Catching Up With the San Diego 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. Today, we catch up with the San Diego 3-Day coaches (you can read last year’s “Meet the San Diego Coaches” here)!

susan g komen 3-Day breast cancer 60 miles walk blog san diego coaches

Nanette, Kim, Staci

What was your favorite memory from the 2014 San Diego 3-Day?

Staci (San Diego Participant Coach) – My favorite part is always reconnecting with my 3-Day family and meeting people for the first time that I have been emailing and talking on the phone with throughout the season. susan g komen 3-Day breast cancer 60 miles walk blog san diego coaches

Kim (San Diego Local Events Coach) – The Closing Ceremony. Watching all the love and celebration of completing the journey and the determination to never give up. susan g komen 3-Day breast cancer 60 miles walk blog san diego coaches

Nanette (San Diego Crew & Volunteer Coordinator) – My favorite memory from 2014 was seeing all of the hard work the crew has put into this event and making it their own over the year. They were having fun, they accomplished many great things and many friends were made. It made my heart swell. susan g komen 3-Day breast cancer 60 miles walk blog san diego coaches

Fun facts about the San Diego 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 event wrap-up at the end of the week!)

I’ve won a car.
I’m home-body.
I am an avid hiker.
I am a pretty darn good poker player.
I love decorating, gardening and “pinning.”
My dream job is to perform on Broadway.
My all-time favorite getaway is to a National Park.
Up until a few years ago, I had 2 goats, 1 pig, 16 chickens, 2 roosters, 2 dogs and 2 cats.
I took apart my malfunctioning washer and fixed it by myself. Who needs a handyWOMAN?

Looking for the answers from the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Coaches’ Fun Facts post? Here they are!

1) Val; 2) Liz; 3) Gayla; 4) Val; 5) Gayla; 6) Liz; 7) Gayla; 8) Val; 9) Liz

Congratulations to the 2015 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Award Winners

It was our privilege to celebrate some of our remarkable Susan G. Komen 3-Day® participants with special awards at the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day.

Top Fundraisers

The top crew fundraiser in Dallas/Fort Worth was Kathleen Furman, who raised $4,490. She’s crafty with her fundraisers, designing and making her own buttons, stickers and temporary tattoos. Kathleen has been a part of the Komen 3-Day for ten years, this year’s Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day being her fifteenth event. As a crew member this year, she brought her lifetime fundraising grand total to $47,175.

The top fundraising team in Dallas/Fort Worth was Pink Soles in Motion. As the largest team on the event with 77 members led by captain Catrina Gibson, they raised $134, 468. During their ten years as a team, this group has raised an incredible $1,289,616! Wow!

The top individual fundraiser in Dallas/Fort Worth was Allison Lewis of the Jabber-Walkies team, who raised $21,415 on her own. She’s been friends with two of the women on her team since kindergarten, which makes sense since the team got their distinct name thanks to a grade school P.E. coach who called Allison “Jabberwocky” in the 3^rd grade. In two years and two 3-Day events, Allison has raised a total of $37,540.

Thank you and kudos to our top fundraiser and to the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day community as a whole, who together raised $2.8 million in donations.

Milestone Award

The Milestone Award is given on each 3-Day event to one participant who has an extraordinary history of involvement with the 3-Day. This year, The Milestone Award for Dallas/Fort Worth was presented to Liz Goldman.

Liz first took part in the 3-Day 12 years ago, and this year’s Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day marks her 11th event. Liz’s commitment to the 3-Day is so strong that when Hurricane Sandy hit New York in 2012 and she was not able to fly out to walk in Dallas, she rearranged everything (flights, family, clean-up efforts at home, etc.) and transferred to the Arizona 3-Day just one week later! In her history with the 3-Day, Liz has raised over $144,622 (she also raised the second highest amount of donations as an individual for the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day this year).

Outside of the 3-Day, Liz uses her skills as a chef and her love of food volunteering at a local soup kitchen. Not only is she altruistic, but she’s downright brave; on a recent trip to Tuscon for a girls’ weekend at the spa, she challenged herself to walk a tightrope! Liz’s husband, a 3-Day crew member, offered more insight into what an outstanding woman Liz is, saying “Liz is special, for she truly will do anything to help anyone, and in a wonderful way. The reality is that Liz has an unending desire to help people, and the strength and wisdom to do so. This runs through both major life events and day-to-day life. This altruism manifests itself for the family and close friends. But it doesn’t end there. She also wants to help many who she doesn’t even know. ”

Thank you, Liz, for your years of enthusiasm and dedication to the 3-Day. It’s our pleasure to honor you.

Local Impact Award

The Local Impact Award is a new award for 2015, and is being presented to a participant in each 3-Day city who has been instrumental in strengthening the 3-Day in their community throughout the year. Local Impact Award honorees are participants who go above and beyond with things like leading training walks, attending local events, supporting the local 3-Day staff year-round at meet-ups and workshops, and in general, making a difference in their 3-Day community by building lasting relationships and showing commitment to the 3-Day in all they do.

We were pleased to honor walker Ralph Morriss with The Local Impact Award at the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day. Over the course of his four years and four 3-Day events, he’s raised a total of $23,327. A fun fact about Ralph: he was voted “Class Favorite” at Lewisville HS in 1954. His friend, Shelley G., shared some of the qualities about Ralph that made him just as lovable then as he is now, “My friend Ralph is the most caring, loving, thoughtful, wonderful person you’ll ever know. He would give you the shirt off his back or definitely some veggies from his garden.” Speaking of veggies, Ralph is an avid gardener who owns a veggie stand on Morriss Road in Flower Mound, so be sure to stop by and try some of his produce! He’ll make sure you know all about the 3-Day while you’re there.

Besides gardening, Ralph enjoys walking and fundraises every day, which is pretty amazing considering all of the time and energy that takes. His friend Tracey M. had some wonderful things to say about this extraordinary man, “I call Ralph Morriss the Energizer Bunny. There is just no stopping him. Ralph tirelessly works year round training and raising funds for the support of Susan G. Komen® and the 3-Day. There are plenty of causes Ralph could put his efforts toward, including diabetes, as Ralph was diagnosed in 2009 with Type 1 Diabetes. Yet he chooses to walk with us, for us! Ralph at 80 years of age is so full of life and love. He is so very thoughtful and selfless. I have to say I have never seen my friend with a frown on his face….except maybe when he fears the donations are slowing! As I fight my personal fight, rarely a day goes by without my receiving a quick text from Ralph to just say “Hello, how ya feeling” and maybe a few words of encouragement or inspiration. When I text him back a “Hello, what’s up my buddy?” He says, “Just the 3 W’s. Working, Walking and Wishing”. I then ask, “What are you wishing for?” He says, “A cure for cancer!” Well, I have a wish as well, I wish for everyone fighting this fight to have someone as special and uplifting in their life. Although I am certain Ralph Morriss is one of a kind! Komen and so many of us are lucky to have him on our side!”

Congratulations and thank you to Ralph for his phenomenal commitment to a world free of breast cancer. And, of course, thank you to the entire Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day family for another unbelievable year!

10 Reasons to Register Today – A Guest Post by Jessica C.

Pink is a beautiful color. It is a color that brings people together every October in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Wearing pink, however, is not enough. Wearing pink may raise awareness, but it will not cure breast cancer. It will not save lives.

Last month I walked my second Susan G. Komen Philadelphia 3-Day. Participating, at least for me, was not an act of bravery. Walking was an opportunity, a way for me to do something beyond wearing pink.

If you have ever considered being a part of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, you too can be a part of something huge. Here are my 10 reasons to go for it and sign up: 3DAY_2016_Blog_TitleGraphics_10ReasonstoRegisterToday_fp

The camaraderie. There is a sense of friendship and oneness amongst the walkers that is truly something you do not sense until you experience it for yourself. It is there from the Opening Ceremony to the closing moments.

The personal fulfillment. Walking 60 miles in three days is no easy feat. Last year during my first Komen 3-Day, I got to mark it off my bucket list. This year I came back to get that incredible feeling of personal accomplishment once again.

The exercise. You know those people who set their fitness trackers and set out to reach 10,000 steps in a day? They’ve got nothing on you! Between the training walks to the actual event, you will blow that number out of the water before lunchtime.

To meet long lost relatives. Well, sort of. Last year, early on the first day my walking partner and I began talking with other walkers along the route, as we did often during the event. One woman asked us if it was our first time participating, and we responded that indeed it was our first. She looked at us, smiled and said, “Welcome to the family.” Now I know just what she meant.

The great company. You will meet some of the most fantastic people, people who you would not likely have met otherwise. Learning their stories and reasons for being in attendance was like emotionally uplifting icing on the cake.

The physical challenge. Walking 60+ miles in 3 days is no easy task. Especially when you add on hills, inclement weather, and a few nagging blisters. Yet everyone is celebrated, no matter when they walk across the finish line.

The crew. What makes these three days so special, so life-changing, is not just the walkers. The crew is equally passionate and hardworking. The 3-Day would be nothing without them.

The fun. From the zany t-shirts and outfits on some of the walkers to the pure silliness of the crew, there is a lot of fun to be had at the 3-Day. When it began to pour mid-way through our second day, Trina and I just laughed and laughed about the ridiculousness of walking (or more like sloshing through) 11 more miles in the pouring rain.

The sense of community. The support of the local communities through which we walked is such a huge motivator for getting through the day. The people who stand outside their homes, schools, and businesses to cheer on the walkers make the trek all the more worthwhile.

The lifelong memories. Participating in the 3-Day gave me a deeper connection to what is really important. In addition to the fun that we had, and the physical challenge too, we never ever forgot that our purpose was to honor the lost, applaud the survivors, and support those who are still fighting the good fight.

October is over, but the fight against breast cancer continues. Are YOU ready to join us?

susan g. komen 3-day breast cancer walk blog 60 miles philadelphia jessica cohen eat.sleep.be

Jessica Cohen is a writer of social good, a health enthusiast, and a greener living advocate. Her website, EatSleepBe.com, a guide for being kinder to yourself, to others, and to the planet. Jessica also works as a web content creator and strategic social-media consultant.