
Central Minnesota’s signature breast cancer fundraiser begins this summer and culminates with a three-mile, non-competitive walk Oct. 13 at St. Cloud State.
Registration is 7 a.m. in the field house at Halenbeck Hall. The opening ceremony is 8:30 a.m. The walk begins at 9 a.m.
Share your walk images on social media using the #PinkWarriors and #MoreBirthdays hashtags.
This year’s honored survivor is Ashley Schepers, St. Augusta. Schepers is battling Stage IV breast cancer, which was discovered during her recent pregnancy.
Cancer-free now, Schepers spoke at the Making Strides kickoff breakfast Aug. 8 at the Holiday Inn, St. Cloud. She was accompanied by her daughter and husband, Eric Schepers ’00.
“My journey is not over. It will never be over, unfortunately,” said Schepers, 34. “I’m happy for the people in my life right now who support me every day, because this journey will never end for me.”

Since 2009, 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.
In 2017, the walk at St. Cloud State raised $75,000. The related Real Men Wear Pink effort, paced by Bob Motzko ’89, former men’s Huskies Hockey coach, earned another $40,000.
Central Minnesota community leaders in this year’s Real Men Wear Pink effort include Steve Hoover, retired professor from the Department of Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy.
Organizers
Corie Beckermann ’98 ’02, director of Student Health Services, coordinates St. Cloud State’s sponsorship and management of the walk. Giovanni Antunez, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, coordinates student volunteers. Celest Stang ’03 ’05 manages the Cancer Conversation pre-walk event and the opening ceremony for the walk.

Staff in the St. Cloud office of the American Cancer Society manage the walk, including Kim Orn ’82 and Angie Thaxton.
Breast cancer by the numbers
The American Cancer Society’s 2018 estimates for breast cancer in the United States:
- Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women
- About 266,120 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women
- About 40,920 women will die from breast cancer
Since 1993, more than 14 million walkers across the United States have raised more than $870 million through Making Strides events.