31 May 2007
Charity Walks in United States Promote Cancer Awareness, Fitness
Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure celebrates 25 years
Washington -- Charity walks raise millions of dollars to fight breast cancer and other diseases, but in the United States and, increasingly, around the world, they also raise awareness about the importance of early disease detection and physical fitness.
The events are great opportunities for women to empower themselves and become physically active, said Sloane Burke, team leader for the Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure, which celebrates its 25th anniversary on June 2 with a five-kilometer race in Washington. President and Mrs. Bush are the honorary chairpersons of the event.
Worldwide, breast cancer causes 502,000 deaths a year, according to the World Health Organization. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women, says the Avon Foundation, and because there is no cure, education and early detection are the best defenses against it, says the American Cancer Society.
“When we’re walking 3,000 strong -- many of us survivors, who need to get out and walk -- and there’s pink everywhere and news cameras everywhere, if our message gets one person to have a mammogram for the first time, then we’re that much closer to increasing survival,” said Judith Cherry, a team leader for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.
A mammogram is an X-ray photograph that helps doctors diagnose breast cancer. Women in the United States have worn pink for years to indicate that they have survived breast cancer or that they support breast cancer causes.
Exercise significantly improves the quality of life for breast cancer survivors, and physical activity may reduce the risk of developing the disease, several studies indicate.
Burke expects 50,000 participants in the all-day Komen race, including 35 international teams hosted by embassies. A Muslim team sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations will take part, wearing pink hijabs.
“It is important to engage the international community to end breast cancer globally,” said Burke. The foundation also sponsors annual races in Italy and Germany.
The Komen Foundation, which pioneered breast cancer charity walks in 1982 and first distributed pink ribbons in 1990, is now the largest nongovernmental source of funding for breast cancer research. It reports that less than 30 percent of women had mammograms prior to 1982; now the figure tops 75 percent.
Like the Komen race, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer raises funds to support medical research, treatment and education. Avon sponsors annual walks -- many of them marathon two-day events -- in eight U.S. cities.
Some of the larger charity walks, including Komen and Avon, require participants to obtain at least $1,800 in donations, and many walkers solicit sponsorship in their communities. Other events, including the American Cancer Society's all-night Relay for Life, popular on university campuses, charge teams a nominal $10 registration fee, and local businesses and civic organizations raise money through auctions, raffles and bake sales.
In 2006, the Avon Foundation -- founded by Avon Products Inc., known globally for its cosmetics -- raised more than $43 million from its U.S. walks, and the Avon Walk Around the World for Breast Cancer mobilized people in 39 countries. In May, Cherry and her team -- a diverse group that included Iranian Americans, Asian Americans, African Americans and Indian Americans -- were among 3,100 walkers in Washington who raised $7.4 million.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that charity walks produce an increasingly large share of the revenue raised by health-related nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). USA Track and Field, a national governing body, reports that charity walks raised $656 million in 2005, a 14 percent increase over 2004.
Cherry, 60, told USINFO that when she was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago, she thought she would be dead in two years. For once in her busy life -- and thinking she was at the end of her life -- she wanted to make a difference in the world.
By the time she had endured chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, five years had passed and she was very much alive.
“I became a cancer survivor,” Cherry said. “I decided what I needed to do was work to raise awareness and money.” The tough part, for her, was the walking.
Cherry did her first Avon marathon in 2004, walking 42 kilometers over two days, with a friend.
“I had an enormous feeling of accomplishment,” she said.
Now Cherry participates in all eight Avon walks every year. By 2006, she had invented the “walk family” -- either single walkers or small groups of people walking together; she now has 250 people on her teams.
Cherry said she is not unlike other cancer survivors who need to be pushed to become fit. After the fatigue and discomfort of treatments, they often see exercising as the last thing they want to do, especially if it takes them away from their families.
Avon and Komen provide onsite medical care, and Avon puts up overnight shelters -- called Wellness Villages -- for participants. Komen's Kids for the Cure tent recognizes that breast cancer affects entire families, Burke said, and “co-survivors” need a place to play after the race.
To help participants prepare, Komen offers injury-prevention workouts on its Web site. This year, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s certified personal trainer, Tommy Tomlo, will lead participants in warm-ups.
“We've trained hard, and the walk is our reward,” Cherry said. “It's the journey that is important, not how fast we reach the end.”
Additional information on the Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure and the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is available on the NGOs' Web sites.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
