The sun shined on survivors, supporters, donors, grievers and volunteers at the Making Strides breast cancer fundraising walk Oct. 17 at St. Cloud State.
The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Central Minnesota has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for breast cancer research and programs. At publication, the 2015 fundraising total was $72,286 and rising.
The walk is a celebration of survivorship and an expression of shared determination that this will be breast cancer’s last century. Since 1993, more than 11 million walkers have raised more than $685 million. The society’s 2015 breast cancer estimates: 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 40,290 deaths.
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Among the dignitaries at the Central Minnesota walk were U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota), state Rep. Tama Theis (R-St. Cloud), and Ashish Vaidya, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Wanda Overland, vice president for student life and development, reprised her role as the official St. Cloud State host, welcoming participants to the walk headquarters, the Halenbeck Hall Fieldhouse.
Mary Pat Denne, office assistant at the Center for International Studies, was one of the honored survivors, leading the traditional survivors’ lap around the fieldhouse track.
Mary Pat Denne, honored breast cancer survivior, is an office assistant for the Center for International Studies at St. Cloud State. Photo by Jeff Wood ’81 ’87 ’95.
The three-mile walk encompassed parts of the Beaver Islands Trail, Atwood Mall, Fifth Avenue, Barden Park and Husky Stadium.
Teresa Heck, professor of kinesiology, and Corie Beckermann, director of Student Health Services, led the campus coordinating committee. Students in Heck’s HLTH 425 Community Health Planning class helped organize the event.
Among the student groups that volunteered were the Hmong Student Association and Dance Team.
