What it means to crew

You signed up to crew. You went to a couple meetings. You came to Crew Day. Now the event is here. Whether you are a camp crew or a road crew member, a first timer or tenth timer, do you ever ask yourself why you crew?
You look at the walkers. You figure, they are walking for their mom, their daughter, their aunt, or for themselves. They raised $2,200 to walk their victory march, a 60-mile journey to let the world know that another voice has stepped up to cancer. Yet, you still might wonder why crew comes to work.

The reasons are the same. We crew to support the walkers, to enable their successful victory march. We crew to show our voice to cancer that we will fight the fight. Cancer will not go away. It is a dormant enemy lying wait within our bodies. Whether that dormancy turns to activity depends on many factors. However, our fight is the fight to keep that cancer from every spreading its wings within our bodies.
So my message is simple. Crewing means we leave our differences at home. We tell ourselves that no matter what happens on event, we will remain vigilant to the cause. Will there be challenging moments? Yes. However, we must remember that our focus is on the experience of the walkers. If we are to help continue Komen’s mission, we must execute the event with seamlessness. Walkers should never have to perceive that there is a problem. If I was never thanked again by a walker because I became invisible, then I have truly done my job.

Help me, help others

To battle cancer, it takes courage, heart, strength, and not to mention...money. For those who know me, I have been working with The Breast Cancer 3-Day for many years. While I don't walk, I play an integral role in supporting thousands of walkers in each city I visit.

Will we ever get rid of cancer? Some debate this. Some say it's part of our genetic makeup and it is only a matter if cancer makes itself present. However, what I do know is that cancer is beatable. Monies raised for organizations like Susan G. Komen allow people to get help in early detection and help many others in understanding their need for risk and awareness.

So please join me in the battle against breast cancer. Click on the picture on the right to make a donation today!

The unspoken responsibility of a captain

Being a captain on the 3-Day is fun. Lots of folks have done it. It can be a very easy job, or it can be a hard job. I think the fun part is making it a challenging job. I believe that every captain on the 3-Day has more than just the duties listed on the piece of paper given to them. The unspoken challenge or responsibility of each captain is to make the event better than the year before! Whether you are a new captain or a returning veteran, it is in the best interest of all those who participate for captains to think about how they add value to the event.

So I encourage all captains in any city to think of new ways to make the 3-Day the best event ever. You will feel great about your accomplishments. Your team will thank you for a wonderful event. Best of all the walkers will appreciate the sacrifices you made. To contribute ideas or read about other things to try out on the 3-Day visit the Facebook group at the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6270917449

This is a place for all captains to share their ideas or pick up new ones.

Have a great 3-Day season!

3-Day Season is about to start!

There is an excitement in the air! What could it be? It's 3-Day season and it's about to start soon! As a veteran captain, I can't wait for spring. I always have a festive anticipation that 3-Day is just around the corner. Rosters start coming out, crew captains rosters fill out, crew registration closes down, and it all starts with the welcome message from the crew coordinator. This year I will be in Boston, SF Bay Area, and San Diego! I know it sounds crazy to get all excited about something that is months away, but I actually enjoy the preparation leading up to the event. I feel that it leads to better events. It's also a time to get people excited and interested in fighting for the cause. If research accomplishes nothing else, at minimum funding programs for awareness and messaging for testing should be an important part of the fight. Breast cancer no longer has to be a death sentence.