The Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer Kick Off event will take place on Saturday, March 27th from 8am to 10am at Maggiano's Little Italy in Buckhead and you are all invited to be there!
First, a little bit about the Atlanta 2 Day. The Atlanta 2 Day is a very similar event to the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure and the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. However, whereas those events benefit national breast cancer organizations, the Atlanta 2 Day raises money that will remain in the Atlanta community. The event is organized by a not for profit group called "It's the Journey, Inc." ITJ was started in 2002 by a two-time breast cancer survivor named Randi Passoff in order to raise funds to directly benefit women in the Atlanta area through ITJ grants.
The 2010 Atlanta 2 Day is scheduled for October 2 and 3rd and as with the 3 Day, training and fundraising starts now! Registration for the 2 Day is $150 for the full two days, including a hotel stay on Saturday. There is a $1000 fundraising minimum for walkers participating in both days and a $500 minimum for walkers that are only walking on Sunday. Altogether, the walk covers approximately 20 miles on Saturday and 10 miles on Sunday. So obviously, while the commitment is still intense, it's a little lighter than with the Komen 3 Day for the Cure.If you are interested in participating in the Atlanta 2 Day or if you just want to learn more, please check out their Kick Off event tomorrow morning. All of the details of that event can be found here.
Now that I've covered the specifics, it's truth time: In the past, I haven't been a huge supporter of the Atlanta 2 Day. While I support their goals (and the people who walk in this event) very much, the advertising and marketing for the 2 Day has always seemed a little devious to me. I've seen a number of ads where the 2 Day folks appeared to target individuals that wanted to do the Breast Cancer 3 Day but were intimidated by the fundraising, the 60 mile distance or most especially, the camping. They essentially have advertised themselves as the "easier alternative" to the 3 Day. To me, that seems a little underhanded and unnecessary. There is no need to make this a direct competition for participants. There are plenty of people with good hearts to go around!
Because of this, I was hesitant to post this "You're Invited" notice. I don't generally post things that I don't believe in 110%. However, this year, I am trying to be more supportive, especially of the wonderful men and women who are walking in this event. The truth is, when it comes to raising money to find a cure and to support those fighting breast cancer, every little bit helps, regardless of where it comes from. As transplanted Atlantian, I think the focus on raising funds to benefit our great city is highly worthwhile.
Having said all that, I leave you with this to think about. If you are thinking about walking in the Komen 3 Day, don't let the fundraising challenges, the longer distance or the camping discourage you from doing it. You will absolutely not regret it, I promise. And trust me, you CAN do it. However, if if the choice is between walking in the 2 Day or not walking at all, or if you are more interested in raising money that will directly benefit the Atlanta community, please consider doing the 2 Day instead. Or hey, you could always do both...
No comments:
Post a Comment