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Community Corner

Think Pink: Breast Cancer Awareness Events in Sandy Springs and Nearby

From galas to walks to shopping, here's how you can participate, pledge support and donate to the cause in Sandy Springs.

 

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and whether you love to shop, attend events, walk or run, there are tons of different ways to support the cause. Check out the list below of opportunities to go pink in Sandy Springs and metro Atlanta. 

The annual 24 Hours of Booty event will be held in Sandy Springs for the first time on Oct 13.

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It's hosted by Mount Vernon Presbyterian School and Mount Vernon Woods Community. The Sandy Springs Booty Loop, a new 2.5-mile course, through the Mount Vernon Woods Community, will be open for participants of all skill levels and ages for 24 hours. 

The event raises funds for cancer research and programs with the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the local beneficiary. Last year individuals and teams with 24 Hours of Booty of Atlanta raised a record $236,000, close to a 55 percent increase from 2011.

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Events nearby:

  • The Pink Ribbons program in Atlanta is organizing its annual fashion show and luncheon. The event is a great way to discover what’s in style this season and to raise money for breast cancer awareness. This event also features a fashion show where breast cancer survivors strut down the runway. Team Angels Foundation, based in Michigan, hosts a yearly dinner and fashion show to help spread the message that breast cancer can affect both men and women
  • Van Michael Salon's "Blow Out to End Breast Cancer" event wil donate $5 for each premium blow out style to Pink Heals Foundation during October.
  • Trisha Dempsey, a cancer survivor and founder of Agile Resources staffing firm is scheduled to speak at Maggiano's in Buckhead at noon on Oct. 15.

There are even more ways to spread breast cancer awareness this month by supporting national organizations that are fighting for a cure.

Research centers like Susan G. Komen for the Cure are selling pink ribbon merchandise and it’s a twofer — retail therapy and donating to a cause that affects millions.

You can also support breast cancer research by affixing a special stamp to your mail. The U.S. Postal Service has been selling a stamp commemorating breast cancer awareness for the past 15 years. The agency has raised $75 million so far for research programs at the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.

The American Cancer Society’s annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk is organized nationwide and so far more than 8 million people have walked for this cause and raised about $460 million.

And you can join people from four continents in a Race for the Cure event organized by Susan G. Komen For The Cure, or an Avon Walk For Breast Cancer event organized by the Avon Foundation for Women.

  • Share these events with friends and family around the country

Are you a film buff? If so, plan a road trip to Santa Rosa, CA to attend the short film festival Lunafest. Proceeds from the event are donated to the Breast Cancer Fund.

Or you could attend an inspirational luncheon in Derby, CT to commemorate women who have been working tirelessly to spread breast cancer awareness. Your ticket would help the Griffin Hospital/Valley Breast Care Fund ensure that no one is ever denied a mammogram or diagnostic testing for breast cancer. Events such as the Women Rock Women’s Retreat in Eau Claire, WI, and Beats for Boobs in Seattle, WA bring art, fashion, music and food to local venues to raise money for breast cancer research, care and awareness.

If cycling’s more your thing, head to Tallahassee, FL, Cedar Rapids, IA, Cambridge, MN or Nashua, NH for the 7th annual bike ride, held by various bike shops to spread breast cancer awareness.

Addicted to Zumba? Join other Zumba enthusiasts at the Party in Pink™ Zumbathon® in Brookline, MA, and enjoy a workout while making your donation.

Walks are the most popular events held to spread awareness. Sista Strut in St.Louis, MO, aims to increase awareness among people of color through their annual 3K walk. Or you could join the two-mile Cure Breast Cancer Foundation walk in Verona, NJ.

There’s also the 5K walk/run organized by the Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer in New York.  You could help raise money for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation by signing up for their 5K walk in Rhode Island. There is also the Walk to Fight Breast Cancer in Alexandria, VA. And the PA Breast Cancer Coalition in Pennsylvania has walks and running events almost every Saturday in October.

If you’re looking for a night full of fun, music and dance, then the Pink Carpet Gala, organized by the JD Breast Cancer Foundation in Cleveland, OH, might be your kind of event. To celebrate and honor survivors, the gala will also have makeovers. 

Get your dose of beer and sauerkraut—and donate to the Pretty in Pink Foundation at the same time—at OktoberFest in Wilmington, NC. And for those looking for an old-fashioned pub crawl with rock music thrown in, a series of concerts by Rockers4Knockers in South Carolina would be fun way to spend a Sunday.

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