I'M IN IT TO END IT! Help save lives by supporting my fight against breast cancer!

Dear colleagues, friends, family, and community members~

For a long time I’ve thought about doing a long-distance walk to benefit the breast cancer cause, and this is the year when I finally say, “No more excuses!” Cancer has
become too widespread and I can no longer continue to sit back without doing something about it. Did you know that every three minutes someone in the United States receives the frightful news that they have been diagnosed with breast cancer?

You may already know someone whose life has been touched by this insidious disease. My biggest inspirations to participate in this walk are my beautiful mother Bette
who is a six year breast cancer survivor, my amazing, resilient sister Donna who is in the post-surgery recovery process, and so many wonderful, strong women – friends, colleagues and their loved ones - whose battles with breast cancer have moved me to action. As I walk I will carry with me their hopes, and those of countless others, to help them thrive since that life-changing day when they first received that dreadful diagnosis.  I hope you’ll join and support me in the fight against this alarming affliction, so one day soon no one will ever again have to hear the words, “You have breast cancer”.

On July 7th and 8th 2012, I’ll walk as one with a community of thousands in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer San Francisco. We will be walking 39.3 miles over two days (that's a marathon and a half!) to raise funds and bring awareness to this campaign to fight breast cancer.

I have trained for weeks to prepare for the walk, and as the date draws nearer, I'm excited and grateful to have this opportunity to make a difference. I chose this event because I’m so impressed that the Avon Foundation for Women addresses the whole picture: medical research into the possible causes, prevention, treatment and cure of breast cancer; clinical care for breast cancer patients; support services for patients and their families; educational seminars; and early detection programs. To learn more, please visit avonfoundation.org.

It’s easy for you to join me—no walking involved! Your tax-deductible donation will not only help me reach (and hopefully exceed!) my $1,800.00 fundraising goal, it
will also move us closer to the end of breast cancer. To make a tax deductible donation, just visit my fundraising page at http://info.avonfoundation.org/goto/psbenavidez
and look for the link to donate. If you prefer to write a check, please make it payable to “Avon Walk for Breast Cancer” and send me an email or call me for information on where to send it.

If you have questions or want to know more about the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, please contact me at (925) 487-0451, psbenavidez@aol.com or via Facebook.

Thank you for supporting my commitment. Together, we are saving lives.

Patty Benavidez