‘Making Strides’
The American Cancer Society, Washington County unit, is joining communities nationwide in “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.”
On Oct. 18, the unit will hold its first 5K walk at Consol Energy Park and the newly opened North Franklin Township walking trail. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 10 a.m.
There is no registration fee, but walkers are encouraged to fundraise and solicit donations. Margie Smith, specialist of community events of the East Central Division of the American Society, said her goal is to enlist 50 teams and 600 walkers. The fundraising goal is $40,000.
The American Cancer Society has held Making Strides walks for more than 20 years. Last year, more than 1.2 million walkers in 300 communities helped raise more than $60 million in the fight against breast cancer. According to ACS, 232,670 women are expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year, and the five-year relative survival rate for breast cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes or other locations is 98 percent.
The noncompetitive three- to five-mile Making Strides walks honor and celebrate breast cancer survivors, raise awareness to reduce the risk of the disease and, of course, raise money to end the disease.
To coincide with the walk and generate interest in Washington County’s first walk, Smith tried to organize a flash mob at Washington Crown Center. Conflicting schedules prevented what she had envisioned from happening.
But she and choreographer Megan Chicone, who was recently named the American Cancer Society’s Volunteer of the Year, regrouped to produce a video that Anthony Conn, a student at Waynesburg University, is compiling. The YouTube video is expected to contain more than a dozen mini-flash mobs that were filmed at various sites in Washington County, with interviews interpersed throughout.
The main prop in the video is a pink couch that was donated by Levin Furniture and is being advertised online on www.auctionzip and auctioned online at www.yilitauctions.com. The couch also is on display at Washington Crown Center. Bids will be accepted through midnight Oct. 31. Money raised will benefit the American Cancer Society.
The couch is PBDE-free, with much of the foam coming from plant-based raw materials, and was manufactured without the use of flame retardants. That’s important for cancer patients and survivors, Smith said, since some PBDEs and flame-retardant chemicals have been linked to cancer.
In addition to the walk, 84 Fitness will conduct zumba sessions, students from Moschetta’s Performing Arts Center in Washington will perform and there will be a DJ.
Volunteers also are needed to serve as route marshals and help with setup and cleanup.
Register online at www.makingstrideswalk.org/washingtoncopal. For more information or to volunteer at the walk, email margie.smith@cancer.org or 724-222-6911, ext. 1059.