Affiliate Marketers Give Back Raises over $48,000 for the 2014 Boston Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

At approximately 1:30pm ET on Sunday, May 18th, Team Affiliate Marketers Give Back crossed the 39.3 mile finish line of the 2014 Boston Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

(From left to right) 2014 AMGB Team Members for the Boston Walk: Liz Fogg, Adam Riemer, Danielle Raybuck, Lauren DeMarco, Missy Ward

Our team raised $48,650.20 and a total of $3.9 million was raised for this walk to accelerate breast cancer research; improve access to screening, diagnosis and treatment; and educate people about breast cancer.

The Avon Walk Boston, the third of eight 2014 Avon Walks across the country attracted more than 1,700 participants from 35 states and Washington DC, as well as two countries, and drew 287 men and 287 breast cancer survivors to raise life-saving funds and awareness for breast cancer.

We were also thrilled to find out that Team Affiliate Marketers Give Back was the 5th largest fundraising team during this walk and I was the top individual fundraiser.

We had an amazing, yet grueling time because of the rain. A few more team blisters popped up than on previous walks. We also had a fun time at our Cheering Station which was at Mile 39 on the second day. We were joined by the Boston Cannons Lacrosse Dance Team and I’d say that we definitely put a smile on the faces of the walkers as they forged on through the .3 miles. It was an incredibly uplifting experience.

During closing ceremonies, Eloise Caggiano, a breast cancer survivor, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Program Director (and friend that I see on every Avon Walk I do) announced the following partial list of grants that were distributed right in front of us:

The New England organizations that received grants on stage include:

• Massachusetts General Hospital received a $500,000 grant to support the Avon Comprehensive Breast Cancer Care and Research Center, which is the hub of all research, education and clinical care activities for breast health at the hospital.
• Boston University received a $300,000 grant to study if environmental chemicals cause changes to breast tumors, enabling them to spread from their original site to distant organs.
• Boston Medical Center received a $150,000 grant to help screen more than 17,000 women this year and provide navigation services to patients to remove barriers and coordinate access to care for prompt diagnosis.
• Silent Spring Institute received a $150,000 grant to continue research into the role of environmental chemicals in causing breast cancer.
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute received a $150,000 grant to help researchers employ a “big data” scientific approach to determine if viruses or bacteria play a role in breast cancer development.
• Community Servings, an organization that served lunch and snacks throughout the Avon Walk weekend, received a $100,000 grant to help provide meals for more than 540 clients fighting breast cancer and their families, ensuring that patients receive high-quality, nutritious meals when they need it the most.
• Cambridge Health Alliance received a $100,000 grant to provide navigation and support services for 3,500 underserved patients undergoing diagnostic testing or treatment for breast cancer.
• Tufts Medical Center received a $100,000 grant to help navigate nearly 60 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients from Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood through treatment.

In addition to awarding local Boston area grants, the Avon Foundation will continue to provide leadership support nationally for the fight against breast cancer. with their recent initiatives like:

• 2014 Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality Study: The Avon Foundation funded a nationwide study in partnership with Chicago’s Sinai Urban Health Institute to determine why more black women are dying of breast cancer than white women in 39 of the largest U.S. cities. The study revealed that Washington, D.C. had a large and widening racial disparity in breast cancer mortality.
• Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance: The Avon Foundation is leading a new metastatic breast cancer alliance of 20 breast cancer agencies that are working to discover better ways to help those living with the disease and reduce deaths due to breast cancer recurrences.
• Breast Cancer Start-Up Challenge: The Avon Foundation, The Center for Advancing Innovation, and the National Cancer Institute partnered to create a business start-up challenge to fast-track ten promising breast cancer research discoveries. The inventions were conceived and developed by Avon Foundation grantees and scientists at the National Cancer Institute.
• Avon Comprehensive Breast Centers and Breast Health Outreach Programs: Through Avon Walk donations, the Avon Foundation continues to fund seven Avon Comprehensive Breast Centers across the country, accelerate breast cancer screening and treatment at 55 Safety Net Hospital Programs, provide financial assistance and counseling support nationwide through AVONCares at Cancer Care, and educate the public through 58 Avon Breast Health Outreach Programs. All Avon Safety Net and Breast Cancer Outreach Program grantees commit to providing their services to everyone – no matter their insurance status, demographic background or ability to pay.

It definitely makes us walkers feel great to see the impact we make as soon as we finish that last mile!

I’d like to personally thank my fellow team members, all of the folks that supported our fundraising efforts and our team’s sponsors.  Without your help, none of this would be possible.

If you are interested in walking, Shawn Collins is heading up the next Affiliate Marketers Give Back walk taking place in New York on October 18th and 19th, 2014. He’d love to have you on his team!

Check out all of our photos of the Affiliate Marketers Give Back 2014 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Boston here.