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.

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!

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

Con: Not everyone is “a hugger.”

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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April Fundraising Calendar

It’s a new week and a new month and we are very excited to see the start of April! Spring is hitting its stride, which means a lot of outdoor fun is coming in terms of training walks, fundraising events and more. The Susan. G Komen Greater Fort Worth Race for the Cure and the Komen Mid-Michigan Race for the Cure are also taking place this month, and plenty of other exciting events for you to gather your 3-Day family around.

Plus, there are all kinds of holidays and events happening in April, so let’s get going!

April is National Poetry Month and Humor Month, among others, so there are plenty of fun ways to use those holidays to your advantage:

Give your next round of fundraising letters a twist, and write them as a poem! It will make your potential donors smile, and help you stick in their minds as the 3-Day comes closer.
Gather your team together to go to a comedy show! Make it a reward for hitting training goals, and use laughter to bond together as a team.
You could also go to a poetry reading or a beat poetry slam for a more out-of-the-box bonding experience.
Also, keep an eye on our Facebook page for jokes, memories and maybe even a poem or two from our coaches.

There are a whole heap of training walks, New Walker Meet-Ups, Get Started Meetings, Video Conferences and more happening in April. What can we say, we’re happy it’s spring and wanted to get moving and learning with you all! Some of those events are highlighted in the calendar above, but you can find the complete list on our website here. We will also be calling out more local events on our Facebook page, so keep an eye out.

For any Texas walkers, April 22^nd also marks our Susan G. Komen Greater Fort Worth Race for the Cure. It’s the perfect event to gather your team for an extra special training morning that still supports breast cancer research. If you’re in the area, there is even a team of 3-Day participants who will all be racing together!

Then on April 23^rd, there will be the Komen Mid-Michigan Race for the Cure in Lansing, MI, which also has participants from the 3-Day! You can donate, or join the team and get some easy training steps in.

Other key days this month include:

April 1: April Fool’s Day: Did you fall for our joke this year? Check out the blog for more fun graphics sure to make you smile!
April 7: Walk to Work Day: If you have co-workers on your team, this is the perfect time to get them together for a training walk to or from the office. It’s also a great opportunity to recruit more of your work friends, or even friends who work nearby, to walk with you.
April 16: Easter Sunday: Looking for a fun and festive fundraising event? Host an Easter Egg Hunt at your house! Ask neighborhood families, as well as your friends, to make a donation to be a part of the hunt, and make all the eggs pink in 3-Day spirit!
April 17: Income Tax Due Date: This is hardly a holiday that most people get excited about. However, it’s also the perfect time to thank donors from last year who haven’t donated to your 2017 3-Day yet. Remind them to file their donation from last year on their taxes, and let them know you’ll be walking again!
April 20: Volunteer Recognition Day: The 3-Day would be nothing without our amazing volunteers, and other supporters who take time out of their days to make your 60 miles truly special. If you know a 3-Day volunteer, send them a thank you note! If you don’t, it’s still a great time to remind people of the value of service and giving back to the community…maybe by walking or crewing a 2017 3-Day! Also, keep an eye on our social media channels as we will be celebrating volunteers all week long, from Monday, April 23 through Friday, April 29 by sharing stories and inspiration from our very own 3-Day volunteers.
April 22: Earth Day: Throughout the next few months, we will be showcasing all the beautiful sights and spots along all our 3-Day walks. We know we’re very lucky to be hosted by just some of the beautiful cities in America! In honor of all the beauty of nature, in our 3-Day cities and beyond, hold a training walk and extend it to non-3-Day walkers too! Everyone will love the chance to get moving outside, and you might even recruit some new team members or donors in the process.