I'm Doing the Avon Walk!

On Tuesday night I attended my first introduction to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancers and I left feeling inspired, enthused and filled with a happy heart. Now that I have committed to participate in this walk my job is to train and to raise money. Hopefully I can inspire you to help me.

On Sept. 16-17, my sister Wendy and I will be among thousands of people who have dedicated their weekend to walking as part of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancers. We'll walk the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles), and possibly choose to join many others in going the distance of a marathon and a half (39.3 miles). Either way, it's a very long walk.

Together, we'll spend the next few months training, fundraising, and preparing for the event. It's the biggest challenge I've ever taken on, but I'm very excited about doing it because I know it will make a real difference to the millions of people affected by breast cancer.

I take inspiration from Dale who as many of you know, ran in the Honolulu Marathon in December of 2004. While I am not that crazy, I am committing to this walk for two reasons: to achieve a personal physical goal and to help the breast cancer cause. Another source of inspiration is Wendy, who participated in this very walk last year.

Both Wendy and I will each raise at least $1,800 to participate. Please help to support our efforts and the breast cancer cause by making a generous contribution. Please remember as you're making your donation that in less than the time it took to read this e-mail, another woman in the U.S. was diagnosed with breast cancer one every three minutes.

The money raised goes to the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, whose mission is to fund access to care and finding a cure. They provide funding to organizations all over the country in five areas: medical research, clinical care, support services, educational and advocacy seminars, and community-based, non-profit early detection breast health programs. Much of the money raised will stay right here to help people in our city.

TO DONATE: You can make your donation online by simply visiting the website www.avonwalk.org and selecting “DONATE”. Once there, click on the “Los Angeles” walk and enter a participant name (me). Or, you may want to donate by check. Please contact me for further details.

Thank you so much for your support and wish us luck!