I’m a wife, mother, daughter, quilter, 3-Day walker, church administrator, and past NEADS puppy raiser. I think that about sums it up.
I’m a regular at the gym and a few years ago I started walking with a friend for the exercise. Little did I know at the time that it would lead me to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure three years in a row!
Walking has never been my exercise of choice but when the opportunity came up to walk with a new friend, I went for it and am truly glad I did. I had always thought about walking in a multiple day walk to benefit breast cancer research and awareness but truthfully I don’t think I would ever have done it on my own. It took others to say they were thinking about it for me to say, “If you do, I will.”
That first year we were a team of 10 and boy did we learn a lot! We trained and did fundraisers together for what seemed like eternity. It was awesome though. The support we received from our friends, family and communities was beyond our wildest dreams. We raised over $32,000.
Last year, some of the original team members walked again and we were joined by some new members, including my daughter to make up a team of 7. While we still held fundraisers, we were blessed to have a local company, Thorndike Press, take us on as their charity for the year. They held many fundraisers and donated almost $10,000 to us helping us to raise over $17,000.
This year there are five of us, who have walked together before, walking again. While we are working more as individuals to raise funds, we are in touch with each other for much support.
Each year I have been fortunate to have my quilting friends support me financially as well as emotionally. Several of the quilts in this auction were made from blocks that they donated to me. I also received a $300 mini-grant from the Pine Tree Quilters Guild to help pay for the supplies needed to make the quilts.
I get asked why I do the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. My answer is simple: because I can.
Like many of us, I know several people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Every time I learn of someone else getting that diagnosis, I know that there is always the possibility that I could be the one someday getting that news.
So, what I do for now is walk - a lot!
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me in one way or another along the way.
The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds from the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure™ are invested in breast cancer research and community programs.
