In 2014 Thousands of Avon Walkers Will Take to the Streets in 8 Cities to Raise Funds for
Breast Cancer Research and Care
To kick off the 12th season of the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer series, the Avon Foundation for Women today unveiled an inspirational animated video that asks people “Will you walk? Or will you walk away?” from the fight against breast cancer. The 2014 Avon Walks will take place in eight cities across the United States, raising life-saving funds to advance access to quality breast health care, fund research into the prevention and causes of breast cancer, and ultimately to find a cure.
The 2014 Avon Walk season is open for registration and will take place in Houston (April 12-13); Washington (May 3-4); Boston (May 17-18); Chicago (May 31-June 1); San Francisco (July 12-13); Santa Barbara, Calif. (September 6-7); New York (October 18-19); and Charlotte, N.C. (October 25-26).
“Every year thousands of heroes dressed in pink fueled by a passion to end breast cancer come together at the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer events to raise life-saving funds for breast cancer research and access to care,” said Avon Foundation for Women President Carol Kurzig. “With our new video launching the 2014 Avon Walk season, we are showing how each and every one of our participants is making a difference in the lives of those with a breast cancer diagnosis.”
The Avon Walk series consists of eight, weekend-long walk events held across the United States where thousands of women and men come together to raise awareness and life-saving funds for breast cancer. In 2013, the Avon Walk season drew 15,000 participants and raised nearly $40 million through more than 376,000 donations to fund leading cancer centers, research institutions and community-based organizations in the Walk regions, as well as hundreds of additional grants to breast cancer research and access programs across the country.
Since 2003, more than 192,000 Avon Walk participants have collectively walked 6.25 million miles through city streets. All of that walking and fund-raising has helped the Avon Foundation fund more than 3 million mammograms in the United States and award more than 2,450 grants for breast cancer research, clinical care and support services.
The Avon Walk series runs from April through October. Each walker raises at least $1,800 in donations and trains for the event, which offers the option of walking up to a marathon (26.2 miles) or a marathon and a half (39.3 miles) over a weekend. More than 2,000 breast cancer survivors participated in the Avon Walks in 2013, united by their shared desire to eradicate breast cancer and to help those touched by the disease.
Often described by participants as a “life-changing weekend,” the Avon Walk weekend kicks off with an inspiring opening ceremony on Saturday morning, followed by walking up to a marathon that day. Participants spend the night at the Avon Walk “Wellness Village,” a “tent city” with two-person pink tents, hot showers, hot meals, entertainment, and activities. On Sunday, walkers complete the final 13.1-mile leg of their journey, followed by an inspiring closing ceremony and the presentation of grants to leading breast cancer care and research organizations. For a complete list of Avon Foundation funding, visit www.avonfoundation.org/grants.
To register for a 2014 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, visit http://www.avonwalk.org/about/
