Thursday, October 21, 2010

Everyone a Winner

45,900!
Amazing!
45,900 of you came together on Saturday, October 16, to declare that We > Me, that you are the winning strength in the battle against breast cancer.

And what a glorious day! And what warm, loving, generous beings you all are. It was evident in the way you walked hand in hand with your family and friends; it was evident in the hundreds of men who lined the street to encourage their loved ones; it was evident in the teams who participated this year.

Take a look at the winners of our largest Teams categories--so many people wanting to help came together as teams. I wish we could list every single team, for you all deserve gold, no, pink stars.

And without further ado, our winners are:
Corporate (& largest):       Blue Team--AR Blue Cross Blue Shield
School team:                        UAMS Cancer Institute
Hospital team:                     JRMC
Financial/investment:      Simmons First
Community team:              Hot Pink Tomatoes
Small Business:                    Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions
Non Profit team:                 SPP Power Puffs
Government agency:        Milli's Pink Love
Church team:                       St. Mark Baptist Church
Social group/org:               Team Elliott-Joyce Elliott for Congress
Public relations/media:   The Paper Dolls--AR Democrat Gazette

And, we can't forget your creativity! The tee shirts that we received for the team t-shirt contest---wow--once again it was very hard picking just three! But we managed to narrow it down, and the winners, in no particular order are:
Rainwater, Holt, and Sexton
ATC Scientific Beauties
Arkansas Federal Credit Union

Check back tomorrow for pictures.

Thank you, our participants, our sponsors, our volunteers, our fundraisers, our survivors, our race committee, our staff, our TEAM CAPTAINS.
Thank you, Donna Easley, our 2010 Chair.
Thank you Ed Drilling and Anthony Lucas, our honorary 3 Miles of Men Chairs.

Yes, We > Me. Not just in October, but all year long.
May you all, all 45,900 winners that you are, be blessed with love, good health, and happiness, and may we all meet again next year on October 22.

Cheers!
Judi

Awards and team t-shirts are available in Jill's office. Please email teams@komenarkansas.org if you would like to get yours.

And remember that fundraising is open through November 16. There are still awards to be won.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

What time is it?

Correction! Correction please!
Please mark your calendars for 5:30pm on Friday for the Pasta Party at Dickey Stephens Park in North Little Rock. I was trying to get the party started earlier and said 5pm in the blog yesterday, but please note the CORRECT time will be 5:30pm.

There really is so much going on this weekend! If you need any transportation around town, the CATA bus decorated with this year's theme is still running, and the PINK Yellow Cab is still available as well. The Union Pacific Pink Ribbon locomotive is still here on display at 1000 W. 4th in North Little Rock, and finally, American Airlines' Pink Ribbon plane will be here tomorrow morning (Friday) at the airport.

Friday at 5pm, the Pink Duck Walk will be happening at The Peabody. If you've not seen the ducks at The Peabody, Friday will be THE time to see them as they stroll down their pink carpet!

After the Duck Walk, stroll on across the river to the Pasta Party which will begin at 5:30pm at Dickey Stephens Park. There will be lots of great food furnished by Romano's Macaroni Grill, soft drinks by Coca Cola, and The Rockets will be on hand for the musical entree. We may have a special song by a very special group, so come on down for a very fun evening!

Saturday after the race, you know you & your team will be ready for a wonderful brunch--why not check out "Put a Fork in It" at www.komenarkansas.org and head for one of the restaurants mentioned there? Those establishments participating on Saturday will give part of their proceeds to Komen. Or, check out the 6K Cafe brunch hosted by the Little Rock Junior League. You can check out all the details at the Komen website.

But remember, the most important thing to do is to make sure YOU are registered for the Race! The Race Space is still open until 2pm on Friday; after that, you can register at the Race. VERY IMPORTANT: if you or anyone you know is planning on running in the Elite Runner category, you MUST be registered and in the corral by 7:30AM. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Thank you all for participating, and, if you see a young woman wearing a pink veil in the race, please give Audrey Gillis your best wishes. She is participating in the Race this year in memory of her mother, and then later in the day Audrey will be getting married!!!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

time is drawing near

I can not believe it--this is Wednesday of Race Week!
So much is going on, and so much has happened.....

Today (Oct. 13th) is the LAST day to register online. You will need to go pick up your shirts & race bibs at the Race Space or the Registration Table at the Race.
The Race Space will close this Friday at 2pm sharp, so if you need Pasta Party tickets, pink postcards, or any other items, please remember the Race Space will close early.

3 Miles of Men: ladies, please remember to get the men in your life registered as well! They will get their own special tee shirts, and the first 100 men to show up at Capitol Smokehouse on Race Day will get a free breakfast!

Also, with every registration we get, that shoots us closer to being the THIRD Largest Race of its kind in the world! Don't you want to be part of something so awesome? Not only will we move into third place, but that also means more money for funding mammograms, mobile mammography units, more research, more lives that will be saved, all because of your generosity.

Also, today through Friday evening, the Union Pacific Pink Ribbon Locomotive will be at 1000 W. 4th in North Little Rock if you'd like to go see it. It will leave here on Race morning, close to the beginning of the race.

The Pasta Party will begin at 5pm this Friday evening! Food will be provided by Macaroni Grill, and entertainment by The Rockets. Please make plans to attend; tickets are $20 each, and a fun time will be had by all!

Don't forget--you can raise money by texting the word KOMEN to 20222. You can text up to 3 times, with $10 going to Komen each time.

Also, if you would like to bring out the interior decorator in you or your group, we still have some Port a Potties available for $100 each! Contact Komen for more info on this fun project.

Lastly, we would really like to thank all of our sponsors, our volunteers, our participants, families & friends who help make this Race such an awesome event. There is a lot of hard work that goes into the making of the Race each year, and we would not be able to do it without you all.
You are very special; thank you for being part of the Komen family.

See you this weekend!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Weekend scene.....

Wow--it's Friday already, and so many things to do and see this weekend.

First, the 3 Miles of Men kick off with their Tailgate Party at Diamond Bear Brewery!
Party time is tonight from 5 - 7pm, and Larry's Pizza will be providing lots of delicious pizza, which can be washed down with free beverages from Diamond Bear.
Tell the men in your life to get busy and REGISTER! Then, come on down to 323 Cross Street in Little Rock for a rollicking good time with free refreshments, entertainment and prizes!

Do real men wear pink? Yes m'am they do--and you can see for yourself Saturday morning from 10 am to 2pm when the Dancing Firemen from the LRFD will be showing off their new uniforms for the Race, and also the men from the NLRFD will be showing off their wonderfully pink fire engine.
So if you haven't registered for the Race, that will be a GREAT excuse to get on over to the Race Space!

And, if you would like more ways to have fun this weekend, and still donate to Komen, here are a few ideas:

Crown Plaza Room for a Cure - Take Breast Cancer Lying Down!
October 1 - October 31, 2010

The Crown Plaza Hotel in Little Rock has decorated a guest room in all pink! Pink sheets, pink towels, pink rugs, everything pink! 50% of the $150 nightly rate will be donated to Komen for every night the room is booked. For more infomation, call the Crown Plaza Hotel at 501-223-3000.

Heather Owens Photography
October 1 - October 31

Heather Owens will donate 20% of the fees from a regular photo session and 20% of the fees from a mini-session on October 9th. Contact Heather for more information and to make an appointment at 501-786-0116.

Trivia Marketing Team T-Shirt Printing
October 1 - October 15

Trivia Marketing will donate $1 for every Race for the Cure Team t-shirt they print. Trivia Marketing also has design skills to help you develop your team name and t-shirt design. Call Todd Moen at 501-376-9999 for more information.

Bale Chevrolet 2011 Chevy Camaro 2LT Package with Pink Stripes
October 6 until....

Bale Chevrolet has produced a one of a kind 2011 white Camaro outfitted with pink stripes and the Komen Running Ribbon that is for sale. 100% of the profit after expenses will be donated to Komen. Call Bale Chevrolet for more details at 501-859-6262.

Have fun this weekend, and don't forget: with every registration we are closing in on moving up to being the 3rd largest race of its kind! The 17th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is NEXT weekend; make sure you and your loved ones are registered!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

information

In the last few days, I am sure you all have been made aware about a situation concerning a university and the Susan G. Komen foundation.

Vickey Metrailer, President of the Arkansas Affiliate Komen for the Cure Board, sent out a letter, which she has given permission to share with us on the blog. It is below:

Dear 2010 Race for the Cure Committee

Many of you have probably heard about or seen the media clips/blogs/facebook posts, etc. on yesterdays issue involving Harding University. First let me say that Harding has historically been very supportive of our affiliate, in particular hosting a walk on alumni weekend with proceeds sent to us. In addition, the president of Harding's wife is a breast cancer survivor and a RFTC participant.

Background Facts: NO national dollars or Arkansas Affiliate dollars go to Planned Parenthood. However, a few affiliates award grants to Planned Parenthood for clinical breast exams and mammograms. These grants are generally in areas where the Planned Parenthood clinic is the main medical provider for economic or geographic reasons. Komen dollars can only be used for breast health issues and all grants are carefully scrutinized to insure all dollars are being utilized properly.

Yesterday a Harding student demanded that items benefiting SGK for the Cure be removed from the bookstore shelves because of Komen's affiliation with Planned Parenthood. Somehow, Channel 4 and 7 were tipped off and covered the removal of items. Last night, Sherrye was on 4 and 7 accurately explaining the Komen/Planned Parenthood relationship and Sherrye has been interviewed today by 11 and KARK.

As of now, Sherrye has spoken to the President of Harding, the items are back on the shelves and Harding is issuing a statement supporting Komen.

Remember to register for the race.....we have a real opportunity to be #3 in the world.

As always, thanks for all you do.
Vickey

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We believe passionately in the work being done with breast cancer, and we appreciate your support, your generosity, and your faith in us.

Monday, October 4, 2010

countdown has begun....

The countdown has begun! I hope everyone is just as excited as I am---the 17th annual Komen Arkansas Race for the Cure is less than 2 weeks away.

The Kids for the Cure race was held Sunday--over 500 children signed up to race around the Capitol grounds on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. A big thank you to all who participated; and kudos to all who volunteered to help.

This Friday will be the 5th annual 3 Miles of Men Tailgate Party! Are the men in your life signed up for 3MOM? This year the party will be at the Diamond Bear Brewery from 5-7pm, and Larry's Pizza will be providing great pizza and Diamond Bear the beverages. There will be prizes, music, and entertainment...so if your hotties aren't signed up, make sure they are by Friday!

Also, the 3MOM will get their own complimentary tee shirt when they register. On Race Day, the first 100 men to show up at the Capitol Smokehouse will get a free breakfast catered by the Smokehouse owners. Plus, they are directly on the Race route, so all the guys will have a great vantage point of cheering on the women racers as they come down Capitol Avenue.

Don't forget---the absolute easiest way to raise money for Komen? By simply texting the word KOMEN to 20222. You can text up to 3 times, and each time you do, you will donate $10 to the Komen foundation.

Last but not least, if you have friends or family who still need to register, they can go to the Race Space at the Pleasant Ridge West shopping center in west Little Rock (just behind Carino's.) We have lots of great volunteers just waiting to help everyone register, buy a few goodies or buy tickets to the Pasta Party! So stop by and visit won't you? We'd love to see you!