Maricopa Sole Mates walk, raise funds to fight breast cancer

Sixty miles in three days, thousands of steps and months of preparation to make a personal difference in finding breast cancer cures.

Maricopa residents Theresa Farley (team captain and training walk leader), Cyrilla Garcia (co-captain), Amy Glennon, Courtney Younghans, Julie Mastel, Dawn McFarland and Winnie Hayes have joined thousands of breast cancer supporters in preparing for the 2010 Susan G. Komen Arizona 3-Day for the CureTM, presented by Energizer.

After months of training and fundraising, participants will walk 60 miles during three days to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research and community-based breast health and education programs.

“This is my first year participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure,” said Farley. “I am looking forward to the challenge of training, the event and making an impact for such an amazing organization.”

Cyrilla Garcia shares why she is walking 60 miles. “This past year I met a breast cancer survivor; she is a mother, and that hits home for me. I am so glad that her little girl has her mother with her. She is a survivor! It breaks my heart how many families don’t get to say that. I walk to stand up against this disease.”

Coaches and online assistance support each walker, aiding in all aspects of training and fundraising. Additionally, clinics, meetings, training walks, teams and buddy walkers provide ongoing encouragement.

In order to walk, each walker must raise at least $2,300. For a team of seven that totals $16,100. So far the team has collectively raised $3,913. The donations have come in from emails to family and friends, as well as two garage sales.

The team will be holding another garage sale in Desert Cedars on May 15. Other fundraising events will be:  a night at Brooklyn Boys with a silent auction, an ice cream night confirmed with Water and Ice, dates still to be determined, and Sweet Tomatoes is donating a portion of their proceeds on May 12 when diners present the Maricopa Sole Mates flyer. In addition, the team is selling painting passes to As You Wish in Ahwatukee and VIP cards.

The team is also seeking sponsors whose names will be displayed on their team shirts. Please contact Farley at [email protected] for more information, updates or to become involved.

The Susan G. Komen Arizona 3-Day for the Cure starts on Friday morning, Nov. 12 and ends with the closing ceremony on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 14. Walkers cover about 20 miles a day, traveling at their own pace. Hundreds of volunteer crew members support the walkers through the three-day journey, providing meals, refreshments and snack stops, gear transport, hot showers, portable restrooms, safety on the streets and 24-hour medical services.

The Komen 3-Day for the Cure is the greatest distance you can go in the fight against breast cancer.

More than 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer globally each year. To help Maricopa Sole Mates reach their goal by making a donation or joining the team, visit www.the3day.org, click on Donate, and then search for Maricopa Sole Mates or any of the team members’ names. To learn how to participate or volunteer with the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, visit The3Day.org or call 800-996-3DAY.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982 that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today Komen for the Cure is the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, nearly $1.5 billion has been invested, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

Pictured from left to right in garage sale photo:  Theresa Farley, Amy Glennon, Courtney Younghans and Julie Mastel. 

Submitted  photos