Open Jaw :: On The Town ::

with Suzanne Christie
08SEP08

First Choice For Friends Team with their Victory Shirts - l-r: Michelle Palma, Tammy Crane, Suzanne Christie, Dianne Jackson, June Samms & Anne Mullins

Piper Sends Walkers Off On Day 2

Long, Wet & Amazing

After two days, 60 km, sore feet, aching joints and wet everything.... the 6 member First Choice for Friends team crossed the finish line of the Weekend to End Breast Cancer together. The team raised a total of $30,471.73 from major sponsors, colleagues, friends and families.

In total, 4,700 walkers brought in over $13,000,000 to benefit the Campbell Family Foundation at Princess Margaret Hospital in the fight to end breast cancer.

What an exercise in logistics! Snacks, drinks, music, supporters and the requisite phalanx of port-o-potties (all with toilet paper!) every few km, the tents, beer, medical staff, cheerleaders, dinners, beer, breakfasts and more beer – all pulled together with lots of laughs for the creatively titled and garbed teams of walkers. The Agony Of DaFeet, Boobalicious Babes, Boo Bees, Chest Nuts and many, many more limped, danced, strode and even wheeled their way along the route.

Major sponsorships from Red Tag Vacations, the staff of Signature Vacations & Sell Off Vacations, itravel2000, Open Jaw, TakeOffeh.com, RadonicRodgers, AIG Travel Guard, Travelocity.ca, TSG, RewardsNation, Gillanders Construction and Peregrine Promotions Inc. together with the support of many, many friends helped our First Choice For Friends team surpass our goal.

The best reward of all – the support of the people of Toronto’s neighbourhoods who came out to cheer us on, wave, honk, hand out snacks, treats, homemade baking, water, beer, espresso and their appreciation for the walkers. From Weston through Downsview, North Toronto and Rosedale – they were all an inspiration. The best surprise – among those welcoming us at the finish - Walter Gretzky with a high 5 for us all.

On my way home, still wearing my victory shirt awarded to all walkers at the finish line, I stopped into the bank. The woman at the next ATM commented on my shirt and thanked me for walking for her. She has just been diagnosed and will start radiation treatments next week.

That's why we walked.