History
The Breast Cancer 5K CARE Walk began in 2002 in the hearts of the PE students in Oakwood schools. It all started when students noticed a couple of moms walking in the neighborhood A LOT, training for a 60-mile walk for breast cancer in Atlanta. The moms were invited into the PE classes to walk with and talk about long distance walking and training in the elementary and junior and senior high schools. In every class, the same question came up again and again: Why are you walking so much? When the students heard of the breast cancer cause, many wanted to walk too. Several students had family members who had had breast cancer, and the majority of the students knew of someone who had the disease. The kids wanted to do something to help right here in Dayton, and that is how the Breast Cancer 5K CARE Walk started, and it has gotten bigger and better year after year.
Since its beginning, the CARE Walk team has raised over $150,000 in the fight against cancer. Since 2003, 100% of the proceeds from the Breast Cancer 5K CARE Walk go directly to the underserved and uninsured right here in the Miami Valley. We are completely volunteer-driven to get the most out of the money we collect.
Our CARE Walk team believes children should grow up in a world without breast cancer. Our hopes are fourfold: Cure for breast cancer; Access to mammograms, treatments, and support groups for families of all income levels; Research to prevent and stop the progress of breast cancer; and Education to spread the word about this "silent disease" that affects 1 in 8 women.
CARE Walk attracts all sorts of people: young, old, big, small, male, female, students, parents, teachers, coaches, etc. We are very indebted to all of these walkers and to our volunteer base of service groups, such as Oakwood High School's Women's Issues and Oakwood Giving, various church youth groups, local boy and girl scouts, and the City Safety Department. We would sincerely like to thank our sponsors and prize donors without whom the continued growing success of CARE Walk would not be possible.
We welcome all citizens and businesses to join us and step up to our challenge of creating a world without breast cancer. We believe it will happen—after all, Dayton is a place where dreams come true. One hundred years ago, two Dayton brothers dreamed of flying, which was considered impossible. We dream of a world without cancer, and we believe it is possible if enough of us take the steps to meet the challenge. Won't that be a wonderful gift to leave our children and their children?
