Community Corner
400 To Walk Saturday in Park Ridge To Fight Breast Center
They'll walk 5K from Hodges Park To Devon, Courtland to Cumberland, and 31 survivors will be on hand. You can still sign up to walk, or just show up and volunteer. Donations still being accepted.
As a college professor, Angela Malcomson doesn't normally manage issues like where to put the 500 granola bars or how to work with the sound guy for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Park Ridge Saturday morning.
But as a survivor, who was diagnosed with what proved to be Stage 2 breast cancer in 2011, had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, she says this is her way of giving back to the American Cancer Society, which supported her in the process, and to Park Ridge, where her husband Dave's fellow Park Ridge Fire Department employees did fundraising and shifted schedules so her husband could be with her for her treatments.
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Malcomson formed a committee back in November, and since then, they've been plastering stores with posters, signing up walkers, gathering donations and planning the walk route, survivors' tent and post-walk entertainment.
Registration for the non-competitive 5K walk starts at 8 a.m. Saturday at Hodges Park in Park Ridge, and the walk starts at 9 a.m. with entertainment at 10:30 and then closing ceremonies, with the event wrapping up around noon.
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"People can still do a walk-up registration on-site for $25," Malcomson said. "If they want to volunteer, just go to the American Cancer Society tent and ask for the Volunteer Coordinator, Michelle Nye, and they can pass out water bottles or be a course monitor."
Anyone may donate on race day or even after the event, she said, at the Park Ridge Making Strides Against Breast Cancer website.
Cynthia Cycon, a Park Ridge resident, will talk about her journey through breast cancer at the opening ceremony, Malcomson said, and has also organized a survivors' tent which will offer massages, gift certificates from Park Ridge merchants and other goodies.
After that, the walkers will head south on Vine, east on Belle Plaine and wind through streets such as Harrison, Arthur, Courtland and Devon before heading north on Cumberland to the finish line at Hodges Park.
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