Participants dance to the Cupid Shuffle prior to the start of the 5th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Harbor Park.
NORFOLK, Va. – October 8, 2011 – Today, the American Cancer Society announced that more than $260,000 was raised at its Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 3-mile walking event at Harbor Park in Norfolk. More than 6,000 dedicated community members participated in this inspirational walk to honor and celebrate breast cancer survivors, educate people about the disease and raise funds and awareness to create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays. Every step taken and dollar raised will help the American Cancer Society to find cures and support programs and services for those facing the disease.
“Cancer does not go away in tough economic times,” said Elisa Wills, Area Executive Director for the Society. “We are so thankful for how this community has pulled together to encourage women to make strides to end breast cancer.”
No one knows how vital those services are more than Tina Meyers who benefitted from the Society’s Reach to Recovery program and the support network that the Society provides.
“I think the care and support that the Society provides women during what is a very trying, stressful, life changing event was amazing. I felt compelled to give back! I did this by participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. I am currently working on becoming involved with the Reach to Recovery program,” said Meyers.
The Reach to Recovery program is just one way that the American Cancer Society saves lives and creates more birthdays in Hampton Roads community. The Society helps people stay well by educating people about the early detection and prevention of cancer, and it helps people get well by providing local patient services to people undergoing cancer treatment. The Society also currently grants nearly $6.4 million in cancer research funds at the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University.
This year, the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk was one of more than 250 held across the country Making Strides Against Breast Cancer supports the American Cancer Society’s unique mission to fight breast cancer on all fronts and save lives by helping people stay well by reducing breast cancer risk or finding it early; helping people get well by providing information and support during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking breast cancer research and by fighting back by encouraging lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As a result, more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors will celebrate a birthday this year.
Sponsors of the Making Strides event include: SunTrust, Dominion Virginia Power, Pepsi, Walmart, 7-11, Farm Fresh, GEICO, Grove Baptist Church, WVEC 13News, K-LOVE 90.7 FM, 92.9 The Wave, 97.3 FM The Eagle, HOT 100.5 FM, ESPN 94.1 FM and Star 1310 AM.
It is not too late to make a donation to the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. Visit StridesHR.org to help the Society continue saving lives and making strides to end breast cancer. For more information about breast cancer, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org/stridesonline.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.5 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org. For cancer news in your community, visit sacancernews.org.
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For more information, contact:
Domenick Casuccio
American Cancer Society
(804) 527-3735
Domenick.Casuccio@cancer.org