October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the American Cancer Society needs the support of the Queens community now more than ever.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has severely impeded annual fund-raising activity putting the society’s mission at risk, here are five ways that Queens residents can safely support the fight to end breast cancer this month.
Participate in the first Making Strides of Queens Car Parade
Join the American Cancer Society for the first-ever Making Strides of Queens Drive-thru event at The Shops at Atlas Park on Oct. 18 from 9 to 11 a.m. Participants can expect all of the elements of pink passion from the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Queens Walk, but reimagined into a safe, rolling rally. Participants are encouraged to decorate their cars with pink streamers and flags; a prize will be awarded to the best decorated car of the day. Sign up for a time slot will be required prior to the event, and spots are limited! Top Making Strides fundraising teams and Pacesetters will have early access to registration.
Visit MakingStridesWalk.org/Queens for more info and to register.
Take a socially distanced stroll through a Pink Pinwheel tribute Garden
Also at The Shops at Atlas Park this October, a Pink Pinwheel Tribute Garden will be on view from Oct. 11 to 18. The Tribute Garden will consist of hundreds of pink pinwheels, each serving as a dedication to someone currently facing a breast cancer diagnosis, a breast cancer survivor or a loved one lost.
Tributes can be purchased for $10 at bit.ly/TributeGardenQueens and can be personalized with a message of your choosing.
Make Strides on your own – and contribute to a breast cancer awareness digital mosaic
Necessary social distancing guidelines will prevent the American Cancer Society from hosting its annual 15,000-person Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, but Queens residents are still encouraged to celebrate the progress the organization has made in the fight against breast cancer this October.
Walk on your own with a group of friends, decorate your yard with pink flowers or flamingos, dye your hair pink, even dress your pet in pink! Whatever you do, share photos and videos on social media using #MakingStridesQueens, and your image may appear in a digital mosaic on Oct. 24.
Visit MakingStridesWalk.org/Queens for more info.
Go on a neighborhood scavenger hunt with cityHunt
Download the cityHunt® digital app and go on a two-hour adventure in your own neighborhood, with clues created exclusively for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer supporters. Your group of up to five players will follow clues to solve problems, take pictures, make videos and celebrate breast cancer survivors. To obtain a download link, your team must be registered at MakingStridesWalk.org/Queens and have raised at least $500.
Join a Pink Forward Step Challenge
From Oct. 1 to 11, take steps with the American Cancer Society in honor, in memory and in support of every woman and man who has ever been touched by breast cancer. The collective goal is 10 million pink steps forward in New York City in support of a future free from breast cancer. Walk or run in your neighborhood, local park, the treadmill — wherever you feel most comfortable. Sign up and submit your steps at runsignup.com/Race/NY/NewYork/6Million6Boroughs.
Funds raised through the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer movement enables the American Cancer Society to help cancer patients navigate their cancer journey, even during a pandemic.
The Society offers advice on coping with cancer treatment side effects, answers questions about health insurance, and much more. Donations help fund a 24/7/365 toll-free helpline, 800-227-2345, and live chat at cancer.org; support research into most challenging areas of breast cancer, including triple negative breast cancer and breast cancer metastasis; and promote education to reduce the risk of a diagnosis and to detect cancer as early as possible.
