Tag Archives: breast cancer

Healthy Hooters: Because Your Battle is Our Battle.

In July, the Susan G. Komen Facebook page shared a beautiful photo and story that was heard around the Internet: after 26-year-old Brittany B. was diagnosed with breast cancer, her boyfriend proposed at a surprise pre-surgery party. As Brittany embarked on her treatment, a very special friend of her embarked on her own journey: fundraising $2,300 and walking 60 miles so that fewer women and men around the world ever have to hear the words “You have breast cancer.” Meet Jackie S., of Healthy Hooters, who is walking her first Susan G. Komen 3-Day® in Philadelphia this weekend.

Brittany B and Jackie P Susan G Komen 3 Day Philly Walk to End Breast Cancer

Why does Jackie walk? Because Brittany’s battle is her battle.

Jackie was initially asked to join the Komen 3-Day by some of her team members, the Healthy Hooters. The Healthy Hooters is a team made up of neighbors in their Downingtown neighborhood of Pennsylvania. The Healthy Hooters are all new participants, and their past and current experiences with breast cancer brought them all together. Team Captain Melany walks in memory of both of her grandmothers, both affected by breast cancer, and in honor of her friend Michelle, a 36-year-old breast cancer survivor. Team members Kristy and Sara both walk in honor of their breast cancer survivor moms, team member Megan walks in honor of a family friend and team members Janis and Heather also walk for family and friends affected by breast cancer.

Team Healthy Hooters celebrates victory after Day 1 at Camp

Team Healthy Hooters celebrates victory after Day 1 at Camp

Like many other new 3-Dayers, Jackie initially had concerns about joining the 3-Day. “I went back and forth for about three weeks thinking I wanted to, but was always worried about fundraising. My heart eventually lead me to my decision. Eight days after I signed up, Brittany was diagnosed.” Jackie and Brittany have been close friends for eight years, and Jackie calls Brittany her “Little Sister.” “I have no siblings, so to have someone in my life to fill this role has been such a blessing,” said Jackie.

Brittany is more than halfway done with her treatment, and a quick search of her Instagram hashtag, #beitelstrong, shows how many people are rooting her on and showing support. You can follow her journey through the Susan G. Komen Facebook page.

As the team wraps up Day 1 of their 3-Day journey, I ask them if they have any thing they’d like to say now that they’ve conquered 21.5 miles around beautiful Philadelphia.  Their unanimous rallying cry? “Your battle is our battle.”

Jackie adds, “60 miles is nothing compared to the journey that loved ones are going through with breast cancer.  You can do this. You can’t go through life being a spectator. You have to be a participant.” Every day, we’re so grateful to all of our participants – walkers, crew and volunteers, for being such a passionate part of our fight to end breast cancer.

 

Part 5 of the ABCs of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Crew

Welcome to the fifth and final installment of the ABC’s of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® Crew! We’ve shared letters A – E, F – J, K – O, P – T, and this week, we’re excited to bring you the final six letters. Please tell us your ideas for each letter here or on Facebook, and share these images with your family and friends. (To see the Komen 3-Day walker version of the ABC’s, click here!)

susan g. komen 3-day breast cancer walk crew volunteer university training

Crew University is a series of recorded, online training sessions designed to get 3-Day® crew members up to speed on what the 3-Day is all about, and provide details about their specific crew jobs. All 3-Day crew members have access to Crew U. in their Participant Centers, and are encouraged to watch the recordings that apply to them before they come to the All Crew Kick-off.

 

susan g. komen 3-day breast cancer walk crew volunteer Every 3-Day crew member is a volunteer (they’re paid in hugs, high fives and heartfelt gratitude) who works all three days of the event, but there are also numerous other volunteer opportunities for folks who may not be able to fulfill the full crew commitment. From outreach and recruitment, to training and motivating participants, to on-event roles and responsibilities, there is a volunteer program to fit your schedule, skills and passions on the 3-Day.

susan g. komen 3-day breast cancer walk crew volunteer western shelterTo most walkers, they may just look like pink-covered beacons you see from afar, telling you that you’ve reached a stop at last. But to a 3-Day crew member, these open-air tents, called Western Shelters, are an essential part of the pit stops, grab & go’s and lunch stop. Crew members work together to quickly and safely assemble the structures, ensuring that your beloved grahamwiches are kept shaded.

See also: Walkie-talkies

susan g. komen 3-day breast cancer walk crew volunteer x tent sectionThe 3-Day camp is divided into tent sections to help participants find their little pink homes amidst a sea of tents. Crew members “live” in section X and Y, which are kept a little bit separate from the walker sections (so the crew members, with their early mornings and late nights, don’t bother the sleeping walkers).

See also: eXcellence (one of the “STEPS” that make up the foundation of the 3-Day Crew culture and philosophy)

susan g. komen 3-day breast cancer walk crew volunteer youth corpsThe 3-Day Youth Corps is a select group of young people (10-16 years old) who participate as crew members on the event. The yellow-shirted Youth Corps members attend the entire 3-Day event (accompanied by a small group of adult leaders), camp with the participants and complete a multitude of important tasks both on the route and in camp (the most important of which is enthusiastically cheering on the walkers). The Youth Corps is the only crew team that is required to fundraise; each Youth Corps member must raise at least $500 by the time of their event in order to participate and most kids exceed the minimum by leaps and bounds.

susan g. komen 3-day breast cancer walk crew volunteer zip tiesDuct tape is great, but on the 3-Day, the go-to tools for holding stuff together–from route arrows to pit stop decorations to event signage—are zip ties.

 

We’ve reached the end of the alphabet, but the conversation doesn’t have to stop! Tell us what those 26 letters mean to you, as a walker, crew member or supporter!

The Life Cycle of a Matching Gift

There are hundreds of fundraising tools, tips and ideas available to Susan G. Komen 3-Day® participants who are working toward their fundraising goals, but I am consistently surprised at how underused matching gifts are. Matching gifts are a way for a donor to double his/her donation, but for some reason, many people don’t pursue the option. Perhaps it’s from a lack of understanding about how the process works, or a misconception that it’s too complicated or time-consuming. I’m hoping to clear some of that up here.

In general, a Komen 3-Day matching gift works like this:

  • Meet Petunia.
  • Petunia has just made a $100 donation to her sister Daisy, who is raising money for the 3-Day®. She’s very proud of what Daisy is doing, and wants to support her as much as she can.
  • Petunia works for Awesome, Inc., which has a company matching gift program. Many companies (especially larger corporations) offer matching gifts as a way to inspire their employees to give charitably.
  • So, Petunia goes to the Matching Gifts info page on the 3-Day website (The3Day.org/Matching) to look up Awesome, Inc., and confirms that they do match with the 3-Day. Hooray! The Matching Gifts page has info about how Awesome, Inc.’s matching process works, so she submits a request for Awesome, Inc. to match her $100 donation with $100 of their own.
  • Every company’s matching gift process is unique, but in most cases, the company will use an online matching gift portal (such as EasyMatch or CyberGrants) to process requests. Some companies use paper forms that must be mailed in. Petunia confirms that Awesome, Inc. uses an online process, so she logs in and enters the correct information about her gift. She makes sure to specifically designate the Susan G. Komen 3-Day as the recipient of the matching gift (as opposed to her local Susan G. Komen® affiliate or Komen headquarters), and includes Daisy’s full name and the city where she’s walking, to make sure Daisy gets credit for the match.
  • The 3-Day matching gifts team receives notification of the match request from Petunia/Awesome, Inc., and once they have verified Petunia’s original donation, they will approve the match and send approval notification back to Awesome, Inc. This process can take up to 4-6 weeks, but is usually much faster.
  • Even though Awesome, Inc. may not send the matching funds to the 3-Day right away (many companies only pay out matches once a quarter, or twice yearly), credit for the matching gift will be added to Daisy’s fundraising total as soon as the match is approved.
  • And just like that, Petunia’s $100 donation has doubled, and twice as much money goes back to Susan G. Komen® and the fight to end breast cancer – the cause that the sisters care so much about.

The number one piece of advice we give to participants who are raising money for the 3-Day is to ASK, and that advice carries over into asking about matching gifts too. When you send out your fundraising emails or post on Facebook, be sure to remind your donors about 3-Day matching gifts and ask them to inquire with their employers about getting a match.

You can find more detailed information about the matching gift process, and a searchable list of companies that currently match with the 3-Day, at www.The3Day.org/matching. And as always, the 3-Day coaches are available at 800-996-3DAY to answer any questions you might have about the matching gift process or the status of a request that has already been made.