Joel R. is the 2023 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Crew Impact Award Winner!

Joel R. is a beloved member of the Route Safety Crew and can be described as compassionate, generous, patient, and respectful. A radiant being with supreme character, Joel’s “leadership and work on crew isn’t just a day of volunteering… it’s an attitude of service,” says his friend Barbara B. “He dares to soar by taking on any task asked of him… one of his greatest talents is showing that nothing is impossible.” He truly embodies the spirit of the Pink Bubble and what it means to be a 3-Dayer, bringing his positive attitude to all 33 events that he’s participated in throughout the past 11 years.

Joel was awarded the Crew Impact Award at the 2023 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day and shared a few words with us as he prepared for the event.

What was your inspiration to participate in your first 3-Day?

I was introduced to the world of breast cancer back in 2011 when one of my very close friends was diagnosed as having stage 4. Back then, I had been looking for a way to tie my enjoyment of riding a motorcycle with serving others but hadn’t been looking at charities or big events. I just knew that I wanted to find a way to help others that didn’t involve just writing a donation check or volunteering at church. One Sunday, my friend approached me and was so excited to share the experience she and her husband had at a breast cancer event the previous weekend. She told me about these “guys on motorcycles, all decked out in pink that were having a lot of fun” and how they were really encouraging and helped her make it through the weekend. She was talking about the Route Safety Crew at the Chicago 3-Day. I was intrigued and, after deciding to give it a try, was lucky enough to join the Route Safety Crew the following year.

Unfortunately, my friend battled through a couple of remission/return cycles over the next few years and passed away in January of 2017. My wife and I had the privilege of being able to spend time with her and her family and help wherever we could. Often, that just meant being at their house during treatment cycles just in case she or her family needed anything. We spent a lot of time listening to her and her husband share their emotional and familial struggles. Your heart naturally goes out to someone diagnosed with cancer, but the toll on the rest of the family really showed me how much more broad-reaching the effects of breast cancer are.

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

It’s the camaraderie between Crew and the many smiling faces of participants. You can’t help but form lasting friendships with those you’ve worked hard alongside for so many hours. Who wouldn’t want to be around an event where the math just doesn’t add up? I’m there to encourage the walkers, but I go away feeling like I’m the one who received a blessing.

What is your favorite aspect of crewing the 3-Day?

Hugs and smiles! I also have to mention how much fun it is to play in traffic! The more challenging the intersection, the better. ?

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

I think it’s really important to take time to assess how you’re doing at regular intervals. The Crew is here to serve and we can do our best only when we’re not worn out or hangry. Take time throughout the day to pause for a minute and ask yourself, “If someone wiser than me came along, would they tell me I need a break?”

What’s a fun fact about you?

One of my favorite things to do is people-watch. I could sit in one spot for hours at a mall and not get bored. I’m also an introvert and basically don’t talk to my family for the few days leading up to and after the 3-Day since I have to prepare for three days of heavy social interaction. ?

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

Always take more water than I think I’ll need with me to an intersection. The 3-Day also continues to reaffirm that serving others brings a much longer lasting joy than just receiving from others.

“His generosity is beyond compare and I could go on for pages about how generous Joel is. He is giving from his heart, without any thought to receive anything in return. He gives of his time, his knowledge, his friendship, his caring, he gives from his own wallet, he goes out of his way to help those in need and those that are even just in want. He freely uses his own resources to help in any way possible. He literally will give the shirt off his back.” —Barbara B.

2019 Seattle 3-Day Route Preview

The weekend is almost here! Hot on the heels of an amazing New England 3-Day, we’re heading to the West Coast and taking our walk to Seattle! As we gear up for three days of family, fun and inspiration, we are excited to debut a few changes to the Seattle 3-Day this year while still hitting our favorite spots along the way. Event Production Manager Ann Love is giving us the details on everything we should look forward to.

Get excited because our Opening Ceremony will once again be at the Seattle Center at the Fountain Lawn. We will kick off our 60-mile journey in the shadow of the Space Needle, with some new additions to the Opening Ceremony to make this a truly special morning.

Ann is excited about being back at the Fountain Lawn for several reasons.

“It’s an iconic spot that is a great place to start our journey…plus we have access to indoor restrooms! Take advantage while you can!”

After we leave Seattle Center, we will be heading out on the picturesque route of Day One, which is similar – but shorter! – than last year. We will cross over the 520 Pedestrian Bridge, which is more picturesque than some of the bridge options we have used in the past.

From there, we will walk south through Medina, which is a very cute, quaint little town where some Seattle heavy hitters (Hi, Bill Gates!) have their homes. We’ll also be making our way through the Bellevue neighborhood for lunch at Downtown Park. Ann loves this spot, especially for the little waterfall that makes it extra relaxing. From lunch, we will exit through Bellevue and go into Redmond.

We have a new pit stop 4 to look forward to in the afternoon and Ann thinks walkers will be especially excited for that change! From there, we will return to our outdoor camp at Marymoor Park. We are back in the original campground spot this year, after making a move in 2018. Ann loves being back at our “home” at camp.

“This area will be a great spot to keep the whole camp experience close together and has more parking for Crew! There is also a big parking lot for hotel shuttles, and for Friends and Family Night, so there will be plenty of space and less extra walking. The outdoor camp really gives us our own special 3-Day space. We are our own community.”

Be sure to stick around camp for our new camp programs, including 3-Day BINGO on Friday night and a very special Honor Ceremony on Saturday.

“People really seem to like the changes in our evening camp programs,” Ann smiles. “There is lots of laughter on Friday night! And I’m excited to see them in an outdoor setting for the first time this year.”

After a nice rest, we will kick off Day Two by heading west out of Marymoor Park and onto the trails in downtown Redmond and then into Kirkland. Lunch on Day Two means our new Halfway Celebration so be sure to practice your dance! Ann wants to see a whole crowd doing their best moves during lunch ?

Walkers will cross Kirkland Corridor in the afternoon, and then our grab & go will be on the Google Campus like usual. From there, we’ll come back into Redmond and camp. You’ll even get a little time along the water in Kirkland, which is always a beautiful plus that makes Seattle extra special!

Day Three will be here before we know it, and Sunday will start with a short bus ride in the morning to the University of Washington, near the Husky sports complexes.

We will spend some more time on the trails on Day Three, hitting Woodland Park before skirting Woodland Park Zoo and the Woodland Rose Garden. We don’t actually go through the garden, but if you wanted to make a detour, there will be pretty photo opportunities!

Before lunch we will once again make a stop at Gaslight Park, and the Row for the Cure Festival will be there again this year. We are happy to share the space with them and get more pink festivities going!

Lunch will be at Lake Union Park before we head into town through the Amazon portion of the city. Walkers will go around Pike Place and walk near the waterfront from there. Ann loves that walkers get to spend some nice time along the waterfront and walk through the parks in that neighborhood.

You will hit pit stop 3 along the water, then come back into the city and spend the last 1-2 miles in the Queen Anne District before coming to our finish line.

We are once again ending back at the Seattle Center, but with one exciting change! We will be doing the Closing Ceremony right there on the Fountain Lawn, which means less walking and more great photos! It will really be a great experience and bring any spectators like your family and friends, to the Finish Line Festival, the celebration of the end of our walk.

Ann, our Seattle 3-Day coaches, and our entire 3-Day family, can’t wait to head west and get this amazing weekend started! We will see you all soon!

Dancing Tunes from the 3-Day Safety Crew

The only thing we love more than a 3-Day pump-up song is our amazing 3-Day Crew. Both keep our walkers dancing along their 60-mile journey and provide unparalleled inspiration on the 3-Day weekend. And many times, crew members and cool tunes go hand in hand.

From dance parties at pit stops to safety Crew blasting tunes as you cross the street to the motorcycle Crew driving by and playing that much needed rendition of “Firework” to help propel you up that last hill of the day…our 3-Day Crew are music masters. So, who better to ask for musical recommendations as we gear up for the 3-Day season? We tapped all our crew members to collect the best beats in the land.

Barbara “Bebe” Boone is a regular on the 3-Day Safety Crew, and even if you don’t know her personally, you’ve likely seen her on the road. She always smiling, dancing and blowing kisses to participants as she rides by or is parked at stop lights. She, maybe more than anyone, knows how much of a difference a good song can make on the route.

“I have more than 500 songs on my 3-Day Spotify playlist. ? Three days’ worth of feet-stomping, booty-shaking, family-loving motivation. I’ve found that having a wide variety works as we have walkers, crew members and volunteers from all over the country and in every age group, so my list is from the 1920’s to today. There are always at least one or two walkers that sing along or even stop and dance as they pass.”