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Overview
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is the name of a breast cancer walk held every year in conjunction with the American Cancer Society. The walk is held in different cities across the country including Jones Beach, N.Y. Participants help raise money, which goes to support research for the disease and increasing awareness about the issue.
Size
The breast cancer walk in Jones Beach, N.Y., has grown each year since it first began. The annual event held in 2008 saw more than 50,000 people show up to take part in the walk. That same year, the group also raised over $3 million. All of that money goes back to the American Cancer Society and its fight to find a cure for the disease. Event planners estimate that the number of participants will continue to grow in the coming years.
Function
The Making Strides breast cancer walk is used to raise awareness to the disease and raise money toward finding a cure. It takes place every year in October, which is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Participants range from survivors of breast cancer to friends and family members of those who lost their lives to the disease. The walk covers a carefully planned 5-mile route along the Jones Beach area.
Helping
There are several ways individuals can help with the breast cancer walk in Jones Beach. The group consistently needs volunteers to help run the event, such as helpers to hand out paperwork and people to pass out drinks. They also need walkers, but people can join as an individual walker or join an existing group. Groups can also register to walk in the event. They also need people to donate money to the walk and the walkers.
Significance
Breast cancer is a disease that affects millions of women around the world. Even those who survive are left with physical and emotional scars that they carry with them for the rest of their life. Researchers hope to one day find a cure for this disease, and they need the funding to make that happen. Walks such as the one held in Jones Beach help researchers by giving them the money they need. It also helps bring awareness to the disease and show others its importance.
Features
Participants in the Jones Beach walk arrive at the specified meeting place early on the October morning of the walk. They must register their name or their group's name at one of the designated stations. There are also volunteers checking everyone to ensure they have their paperwork filled out. Walkers wait at the starting line and begin the 5-mile walk. Once the walk ends, they have the chance to meet other walkers and celebrate the event and the money raised by it.
