Congratulations to the 2019 New England 3-Day Local Impact Award Winner, Ali Pepe

For the 2019 Susan G. Komen 3-Day® season, we’re pleased to be continuing the Local Impact Award. This award is being given to participants who have been instrumental in strengthening the 3-Day® community throughout the year. Local Impact Award honorees have gone above and beyond in their efforts leading training walks, attending 3-Day community events, supporting the 3-Day staff year-round at meet-ups and workshops, and in general, making a difference by building lasting relationships and showing commitment to the 3-Day in all they do.

Please join us in congratulating the 2019 New England 3-Day Local Impact Award Winner, Ali Pepe!

Ali has participated in 15 3-Days over the course of 13 years, even participating as a member of our Youth Corps! Since then, she has “walked, crewed and has put her heart and soul in to being the Youth Corps Captain since 2012 in Philadelphia and Boston,” according to Coaches Tisho and Sharyn.

3-Day friend Robin Maxcy also can’t say enough about the amazing Ali!

“The words that come to mind when I think of Ali are kind, bold, generous and always doing something bigger than herself to help others. Ali’s smile and energy is contagious to everyone she meets. I feel fortunate to have met Ali and her family at the very first Boston 3-Day many years ago. From that time frame until now, I have watched Ali grow into a beautiful, smart and empowering woman continuing to help others.”

Ali is a joy and such an asset in our 3-Day family. You can learn even more about her, in her own words, below…

What was your inspiration to do your 1^st 3-Day?

My mother had done the 3-Day for years to support my aunt, her sister, who had breast cancer. I was young at the time, but when I saw my mom and aunt walk into closing for the first time, I immediately knew I wanted to get involved and support the cause. Luckily, Boston was the home of the Youth Corps, and when I was 14 years old, I was chosen to be a member. It was an experience I will never forget!

What has brought you back to the 3-Day year after year?

After my first 3-Day, I was hooked! Not only does the event support a great cause, but the members of the walk become a second family. I can’t imagine not participating in it. This year will mark my 15th event!

Beyond that, it became an even more important event to me in 2012 when my grandmother, my mom, and my aunt were all diagnosed with breast cancer within 6 months of one another. I vowed I would participate in the 3-Day until we found a cure and there was no need for the walk anymore.

What is the secret to your 3-Day fundraising success?

I’d say the biggest thing is that I’m usually just very open about my experience with the 3-Day and my family’s experience battling breast cancer. So many people have been touched by this horrible disease and want to help. Beyond that, I just incorporate fun into my FUNdraising whether it’s a band at an event, raffle prizes, or more. People are happy to help and having the opportunity to have a good time while doing so makes it even more enjoyable.

What is your best advice to anyone walking the 3-Day?

Get to know anyone and everyone you can on the event! Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation with a random stranger because I can guarantee in just a few short miles, they will become a great friend. Laugh, cheer, smile, and even cry! It’s all part of the magic of the 3-Day.

What’s a fun fact about you?

I have completed the past two Boston Marathons! Both times running for the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, and have raised nearly $22,000 for cancer patients and their families who are in need.

I’m also a huge Bruins and Pats fan!

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned on the 3-Day?

Ohhh, this is a hard one…I think it probably has to be that you should count every blessing you have and make every moment count. I know it sounds corny, but when you hear the stories of men and women on the event, and realize how awful the disease can be, I realize how lucky I am. My mom, grandmother, and both my aunts are now all survivors, but not every story ends like mine. Unfortunately, breast cancer claims the lives of too many people, and this is why we all walk. The 3-Day really taught me to cherish the ones I love because. It also taught me that no matter how horrible this disease is, we still have hope and each other. ?

Meet Your New England 3-Day Coaches

Coaches Tisho, Meredith and Sharyn

We’re back from the Labor Day weekend with a burst of excitement…because we’re heading to the East Coast for the New England 3-Day, which starts tomorrow! We have an amazing route planned for 3 days of fun and family, and no one is more excited to welcome you to the Pink Bubble than your New England 3-Day Coaches! If you haven’t met them yet, you soon will. But before we all pack our bags, we wanted to introduce you to the team who has been preparing for this weekend for more than a year.

Get ready to meet Coaches Tisho, Sharyn and Gina, along with our Event Production Manager Meredith!

Meredith, who created our amazing route, “is dedicated to her job and her responsibilities like no one else” Coach Sharyn knows, because they used to volunteer together at Get Started Meetings.

That may be because Coach Sharyn has been a long-time 3-Day advocate and inspiration. She is “passionate about this cause and truly invested in the spirit of the 3-Day,” according to Coach Gina. Coach Sharyn is a newer addition to the team, but Coach Gina loves how Sharyn “ensures our walkers know her personally and enjoy every step of the 3-Day.”

Gina knows just how much the personal touch can make a difference. As a breast cancer survivor, she is the epitome of dedication, and Coach Tisho says she also “has this amazing strength and resiliency that you don’t immediately expect from that sweet smile.” Coach Gina works tirelessly with our Crew and volunteers to bring all kinds of spirit to our new 3-Day location.

Philly walkers will know full well how Coach Tisho knows her job inside and out. She helps walkers, and her fellow coaches like Sharyn, to “answer the tough questions and is always perfectly professional in her responses.” Plus, she “gives her all (and then some!) to make sure our walkers are supported, loved and successful in their 3-Day journey,” according to Coach Gina.

Coach Gina (left)

You could not ask for a more dedicated and excited group of women to support you during your 60-mile weekend. And what a weekend it will be! There is so much to look forward to on the New England 3-Day route, and the coaches have their favorite spots:

Seeing every part of the city of Boston. From heading north to Bunker Hill, west to Cambridge & Newton, south to Jamaica Plain and east towards Castle Island! We will take you through the whole community!
The Cambridge Graffiti Wall is the only place in the greater Boston area where graffiti artists can paint without fear of being arrested. Not only is the art interesting but the alley itself with its beautifully colored roof is just visually stunning.
The Boston Public Gardens with all the natural beauty and the Swan Boats.
The historic sites in the Charlestown community.
The Seaport District. We get to walk along waterfront for parts of all three days!
The Lawn on D, where our Finish Line Festival takes place, is a super cool venue that just invites celebration and fun!

You can also look forward to experiencing our hotel camp, and new camp programs. Coach Tisho can’t wait for some of her past Philadelphia walkers to be a part of the hotel experience again. She recommends really relishing in all the amenities that our host hotels have to offer.

In addition to that, all of your coaches really want everyone to take their time and enjoy the whole 3-Day weekend. When we asked them to share advice for participants, they all said almost the same thing:

“Don’t just rush through your day and the task” ahead, whether that’s walking, setting up a pit stop, handing out legacy pins in camp or victory shirts at the Finish Line Festival. These are three days you will never get back and they are magical. Take time to really look around at all that is happening and the incredible impact we are making.” – Coach Tisho
“Savor the moments, every step, each interaction, because as the saying goes, ‘It’s the little moments that make life big.’” – Coach Gina
“Don’t hurry through the day. Enjoy the people you meet along the way. Ask questions of the solo walkers you find yourself beside and ask them their story and always, always approach a stranger with a smile!” – Coach Sharyn

Thanks to your coaches, you’ll be able to enjoy and celebrate our return to New England with an amazing weekend of 3-Day fun. What are you most looking forward to for this weekend? Tell us in the comments! It will be here before you know it!

2019 Susan G. Komen New England Route Preview

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and that means fall will be here before you know it. And while we’ll be sad to say goodbye to the sun and fun of summer, fall 2019 means we have more 3-Days coming up, starting with a return to the Northeast. We are heading to the New England 3-Day next weekend, and we can’t wait for you all to see our newest 3-Day walk. We know all our participants are waiting very impatiently for the coming walk weekend, and we have a sneak peak of what you can expect, straight from our New England 3-Day Event Production Manager, Meredith Parker!

Meredith can’t wait to welcome everyone back to New England!

“This is an area of the country that has great pride, and we are proud to bring the 3-Day back to this community of people.”

3-Day participants will feel this sense of community every step of the weekend, including at our hotel camp at the Revere Hotel Boston Common. Meredith says this camp “is a great mix of old school Boston traditions, with still a modern feel.”

We are taking over multiple hotels, due to the amazing turn out we have in New England, which will allow us to spread a little bit of the 3-Day camp feel across a few different locations. How will this work? Meredith was happy to break it down for us!

The dining area, which is where our evening camp programs will be, will have its own dedicated space. This will be where our Opening Ceremony will take place as well!
Main Street (complete with those Bank of America massage chairs!), the 3-Day Lounge brought to you by Amgen (snacks, comfy chairs and great prizes) and the Pick-Up Point (get your mail, sweet treats and legacy pins) will all be together in adjoining ballrooms so we can really get that 3-Day spirit going throughout the Revere Hotel.

It will be the perfect atmosphere of excitement and relaxation that our walkers will love to come home to after a day out on the streets and trails of Boston and its surrounding areas. And though our journey starts at the Revere Hotel on Friday morning, that’s just the beginning of three wonderful days!

Day One will really kick off as walkers cross over the Charles River almost right after we start walking, and then head through Harvard Square. Meredith says there will be beautiful morning views of the Boston skyline from the Cambridge side of the river so your Friday will start with some excellent selfie opportunities.

Walkers will be able to enjoy parts of the Freedom Trail throughout the day on Friday!

We’re stopping at Paul Revere Park for lunch, which has cool views of the Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. It will be very relaxing and picturesque! From there, we’ll get a taste of the North End and the Seaport District in the afternoon. Before we head back towards the hotel for the night, we will do a loop through South Boston, which locals will know as Southie — Keep an eye out for Matt Damon ? You never know!

All these amazing sights will continue throughout the weekend! Saturday starts with major sights in Back Bay area, including Trinity Church, Boston Public Library, and the marathon finish line. There is lots of Boston history to take in!

Walkers will then head West, going along the Boston marathon route in reverse as Saturday continues. We will pass by Coolidge Corner, which has some nice local shops and restaurants, before heading through Newton and Brighton, which will take them past the Boston University campus. We will finish Saturday by walking through the Back Bay, along the Commonwealth Mall, which is a lovely grassy promenade. Meredith is so glad we’ll be ending our day with a stroll through that area.

Before we know it, Day Three will be here! Sunday starts with a walk through the beautiful Boston Public Garden, including the swan boats. But no stopping for a sail — you have more walking to do! ?

We’ll walk west to see the brownstones of Beacon Street, where Meredith is looking forward to getting some architectural inspiration, and then even go by Fenway Park. Next is Longwood Medical area, where walkers will pass some of the research facilities and hospitals that benefit from Komen funding. You can see your fundraising dollars at work!

Lunch on Sunday will be nestled in between two of Boston’s most prominent art museums, which will be the perfect break in our day. From there, we’ll pass Symphony Hall for another bit of history.

“You will always be walking distance from a historical building or a Dunkin’ Donuts this weekend,” Meredith laughs.

Before we come to the Finish Line Festival, walkers will make their way through the South End, which is a gorgeous part of town. The day will end with a walk past the Boston Tea Party ships and museum, as well as the giant Hood Milk Bottle statue. Calcium-lovers will especially love this spot!

And then walkers will cross the finish line and head into our Finish Line Festival and Closing Ceremony at The Lawn on D, an outdoor event space in the heart of the Waterfront District! It will be the perfect place to finish our New England 3-Day.

“I’m excited that this is the culmination and reunion of this event!” Meredith says. “People are coming back and it’s going to be so great to see people come together, meet up and celebrate the great local New England spirit. This weekend will give our 3-Dayers a broad picture of the amazing patchwork quilt of the community that is this region.”