National Volunteer Week: Join the Heart of the 3-Day

It’s National Volunteer Week, a time to highlight the incredible impact volunteers make through acts of service. At the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, volunteers make every step of the journey possible through their commitment to creating an unforgettable experience for participants across the Pink Bubble community. 

Whether it’s managing parking at camp, cheering walkers on with a high-five along the route, or helping participants unload their gear when it gets too heavy to carry and ensure it makes it back to camp, there are countless ways for individuals and groups to get involved and make a difference. 

A volunteer giving support to a walker at the 2025 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day.

People like Amy S. and sons are what make the 3-Day so special. After nearly 20 years supporting the 3-Day Crew, Amy encouraged her sons to start volunteering. 

“Over the past four years or so, my sons and their philanthropy group have supported the 3-Day by helping set up tents and serve food,” Amy shared. “I’ve simply tried to model for my boys the importance of giving back and sharing their time.”  

How to Get Involved 

Volunteers at the 3-Day typically commit just a few hours during a single day, with no fundraising commitment. Whether you’re signing up individually or with a group (corporate teams, school and university groups, scout troops, community organizations, faith-based groups, etc.), there are many ways to make an impact, including: 

Volunteers posing near one of the sweeps at the 2025 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day.

  • Cheering squads along the route 
  • Hydration station and pit stop support 
  • Camp set-up and breakdown 
  • Finish Line Festival support/T-shirt distribution 
  • Gear transport and participant assistance 
  • Traffic control and shuttle support 

Age requirements vary by role, with many opportunities available for younger volunteers with adult supervision, and others reserved for those 18+ or with specific medical qualifications.

Join the Crew 

If you‘re able to commit to the full 3-Day event weekend (Thursday afternoon through Sunday), consider joining our amazing crew! Crew members take on assigned roles that support participants throughout the entire event and commit to raising at least $100.  

Medical professionals are also encouraged to join the medical crew which is an essential part of the 3-Day, providing medical assistance to walkers during the 60-mile event. All medical crew members must hold current, valid licensure. If you’re interested in joining the crew, register here. 

A member of the Medical Crew assisting a walker at the 2025 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day.

The 3-Day is powered by people who show up, give their time and create moments that participants carry with them longer after they reach the finish line. We invite you to be a part of that impact at one of our upcoming 3-Day events: 

Boston (Aug. 21-23, 2026) 

Dallas/Fort Worth (Oct. 23-25, 2026) 

San Diego (Nov. 13-15, 2026) 

Tampa Bay (Feb. 19-21, 2027) 

If you are ready to volunteer your time to do something meaningful, contact us at volunteer@komen.org. 

Happy National Volunteer Week!

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Happy National Volunteer Week to all our 3-Day Crew and Volunteers!

In honor of this important and exciting week of recognition, we have compiled an album of our Top Crew Photos from 2017! These are just a few of the amazing memories that our 3-Day Crew has created for our More Than Pink family.

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We can not thank you enough for all that you do!

Have a photo you think we missed? Add it in the comments below!

Pros and Cons of Being a Loyal Volunteer (or 3-Day Crew Member)

To finish out National Volunteer Week, we are breaking down all the pros (and even some of the cons) of being a loyal 3-Day volunteer and Crew Member.

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Pro: You’ve proudly collected and saved each T-shirt from every event you’ve supported.

Con:  You’ve outgrown your dresser space and even after repurposing your extras into creative items (skirts, shorts, pillows, and quilts), your closet still resembles a T-shirt store.

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Pro: Walkers and runners are so thankful at seeing your smiling face as you hand them a refreshing cup of water at a hydration stop.

Con:  Your co-workers look at you strangely when in the break room you cheer “Eat, drink, pee, and there will be no IV.”

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Pro: Participants love seeing your creative and flashy outfits at their rest stops.

Con: You have burns on your fingertips from hot gluing decorations to your clothes.

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Pro: At the end of an event you might find yourself taking home a full box of sweet and salty granola bars, gramwiches or a lot of bananas.

Con: Your lunches consist of sweet and salty granola bars and gramwiches for two weeks. Plus your kids don’t like banana bread.

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Pro: You’ve become an extremely early riser!

Con:  On those rare weekends that you’re not volunteering at an event, you have a hard time sleeping in past 5am.

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Pro: You are an event expert, and answer hundreds of questions from participants and spectators all day long.

Cons: At the end of a long and tiring day, you can’t answer one simple question – where did I leave MY car?

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Pro: You make sure participants have a safe route and are skilled at traffic control at busy intersections.

Con: You are tempted to get out of your car when in a crowded parking lot to show people how to get thousands of cars to the nearest exit!

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Pro: You’ve become accustomed to hugging everyone you meet, regarding them as instant family.

Con:  Not everyone is “a hugger.”

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Pro: There’s never a shortage of emotional surges of inspiration when seeing participants complete the event.

Con: No one understands the high you have for the week after the event; not even your kids.

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