Frequently Asked Questions about Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

We’re here to answer any questions you might have about Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions, but if you have a question that is not answered below, please let us know. Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-ACS-2345.

What is Making Strides Against Breast Cancer?
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is the American Cancer Society’s premier event to raise funds and awareness to fight breast cancer. More than 150 Making Strides walks nationwide each year celebrate people who have battled breast cancer, educate people about ways to reduce their risk, and empower communities to join the fight. The noncompetitive walks range in distance from 3 to 5 miles.

Who can participate?
Anyone can participate in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. From corporate CEOs to school children, the success of Making Strides depends on individuals who commit to raising money, the people who donate to them, and our generous sponsors. Friends, families, neighbors, classmates, sports teams, etc., can form their own teams and walk as a group. Organizations or businesses can also sponsor teams of walkers. Or, you are free to walk as an individual.

We also need volunteers to help at the event with registration, water stations, information, and many other important functions. Making Strides offers something for everyone. Participants in wheelchairs should contact their local American Cancer Society office prior to the event for additional information.

How can people get involved in Making Strides and the American Cancer Society’s fight against breast cancer?
There are numerous ways to join our movement to end breast cancer. You can:

• Walk in Making Strides and raise donations from family, friends, and coworkers. The online fundraising tool at
  your event Web site makes raising donations easy.
• Be a team leader and gather a group of any size to walk with you. Contact your local American Cancer Society office for a team leader kit.
• Double your fundraising dollars through a matching gifts program. Ask your personnel or human resources department for more details.
• Sponsor a Making Strides walker with a generous, tax-deductible contribution.
• Help at the event by donating your time and talent.
• Volunteer for the Society’s many breast cancer programs in your community, including a program that connects recently diagnosed women with women who have survived the disease and “been there” (Reach to Recovery®), and a collaborative program that helps patients cope with appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment (Look Good...Feel Better®).
• Become a grassroots advocate to ensure all women have access to mammograms and treatment, regardless of their income. Learn how you can take action at www.acscan.org/makingstrides.
• Protect yourself by learning and following the American Cancer Society’s breast cancer early detection guidelines at
  www.cancer.org/breastcancer.
• Sign up for a yearly email mammogram reminder at www.cancer.org/MammogramReminder.

How much money does Making Strides Against Breast Cancer raise for the American Cancer Society?
Since 1993, nearly 5 million walkers across the United States have collected more than $340 million to help fight breast cancer through Making Strides events. In 2008, 600,000 participants across the country raised more than $60 million to help fight this disease.

What happens with the money raised from Making Strides Against Breast Cancer?
Funds you raise through Making Strides help the American Cancer Society save lives by:

• Educating and empowering people to live healthy lives and reduce their risk for breast cancer
• Helping all women facing breast cancer get well by providing resources and support to help them overcome obstacles in their personal cancer fight
• Investing in research that leads to groundbreaking discoveries into breast cancer’s causes and cures
• Fighting for laws that help women battle breast cancer and keep our mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and families healthy

For more details, please visit How Your Dollars Make a Difference.

Who are donation checks made out to?                                                                                                                                                                                Please make all checks payable to The American Cancer Society and in the subject line write Making Strides Against Breast Cancer or MSABC.  Checks and cash can be accepted the day of the event at registration, or you can send cash and checks into The American Cancer Society office prior to the event.  That address is 4240 Park Place Court, Glen Allen, VA 23060.

Is there a registration fee or a minimum amount to raise?
The American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer does not have a registration fee and there is no minimum amount to raise to participate. The walk does raise much-needed funds to help the American Cancer Society save lives and fight cancer, but it also creates awareness about breast cancer and provides lifesaving prevention and early detection information. We encourage people who can’t make a donation or who aren’t able to request it of others to come out and show their support by walking in their local event.

Will I get a free T-shirt for participating?
The American Cancer Society does not give out free T-shirts for participating in its Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. We’re guessing you have enough T-shirts already and we know that your dollars you’ve worked so hard to raise can be better spent on our important efforts to beat this disease. We hope you agree.