On Sunday, Oct. 6, the Making Strides Walk, a breast cancer awareness walk, organized by the American Cancer Society, took place. The event had over 9,000 walkers and raised thousands of dollars worth of donations. The main purpose of the Making Strides Walk was to raise awareness for breast cancer. Among the thousands of participants were those fighting cancer, survivors, families of cancer victims, and many others who decided to complete the five kilometer walk.

The American Cancer Society was founded in 1913 and still stands today as an inspirational awareness group that supports families of cancer victims. The mission of the American Cancer Society is to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer. According to their website, the Amercian Cancer Society has invested “79% of resources into cancer research, patient support, prevention information and education and detection and treatment.”

The American Cancer Society put on such a successful event which was appreciated by both participants and sponsors. Some of the major sponsors for the event were Stater Brothers, CVS Health, Walmart, and Well Fargos. Some smaller affiliations that sponsored the walk were Dignity Health, Redlands High School and many other music groups and churches.
Dignity Health St. Bernardine Medical Center had over 60 participants all walking alongside one another. Doug Kleam is the president of the St. Bernardine Medical Center and was very proud to be part of this event. He decided to participate in this event in order to help support those affected by breast cancer.

“We are here to support cancer and breast cancer in particular in partnership with Stater Brothers,” Kleam said. “We are really looking to say, ‘How do we treat it? How do we increase awareness and get everybody out here together?’”

The St. Bernardine Medical Center has created quite a name for itself through its achievements. The hospital has been a huge awareness shower and has participated in almost every event that has been held since the beginning of breast cancer awareness culture. With Stater Brothers’ support they now have an oncology program and have been given new devices to continue cancer research and patient health. Another way that St. Bernardine has shown awareness is by setting up booths at the hospital. These informational booths contain information about cancer in general and provide tips and organizations that people may turn to for questions or help.

The walk on Oct. 6 had been a huge inspiration to many people that entered or watched the event. The American Cancer Society provides information to those who are battling cancer. The American Cancer Society can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 800-ACS-2345 or visit them at www.cancer.org to take advantage of their free, convenient, and confidential resources.
Another future event that the American Cancer Society is organizing will take place on Oct. 27 at 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa, CA. Every walk that is put on by the American Cancer Society is aimed at providing awareness about cancer in general. The donations that are amassed from these events go towards future events and cancer research. Overall, the event that was put on by the American Cancer Society had a huge turnout. With over 9000 participants and thousands of dollars worth of donations, it achieved its goal of spreading awareness for breast cancer.