Throughout America, one of the leading ways to raise awareness of breast cancer and to fund projects of some of the leading breast cancer foundations and associations is through breast cancer walks. One of the leading walks is the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. This walk has raised over $140 million since it began in 1993 and now sponsors approximately 100 walks every year. The money raised is used for research, education, awareness, patient programs and advocacy on breast cancer.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has sponsored its Komen Race for the Cure for the last 20 years and is the largest series of 5K runs/walks in the world. With national sponsorship of many corporations, this series of over 100 runs/walks raises funds that mostly stay in the local community. The money, about 75% of it, is then spent on that area’s educational program about breast health, on its breast cancer screenings and on its treatment projects. The other 25% of the net income from the breast cancer walks is used for the Foundation’s research projects and its other global programs.

The Komen Breast Cancer Foundation also sponsors a Breast Cancer 3-Day which is fairly new and involves a 60 mile walk over a three-day weekend. This is a noncompetitive walk that takes place in approximately 10 cities throughout the United States. In these upbeat events, every participant organizes sponsors and often recognizes friends or relatives who have been affected by breast cancer. The net proceeds of this breast cancer walk go toward the Komen Foundation’s funding programs, as well as, the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

The Avon Foundation sponsors a series of breast cancer walks, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, that are held in eight major U. S. cities. In the first two years of these events, thousands of men and women committed their time and energy over a weekend and raised over $60 million. Each participant gets promises for a minimum of $1800 in donations and the money is then awarded to the programs of research, screening, support care and education that the Avon Foundation now funds.

The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life has become a national success story, upholding and celebrating survivors of cancer in its overnight event. Although the Relay is concerned with all forms of cancer, many of the participants are breast cancer survivors and raise the awareness of breast cancer by their participation. The walk also commemorates those who have already been lost to breast cancer. The event involves groups (teams) of people who come together and try to keep a member of their team on the track, either walking or running, throughout the length of the relay. It is a positive way of raising money for the Cancer Society’s programs.