October 3-Day Walk Update

Today is the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness month and what a way to start the day. The Huntsville Times newspaper was in the driveway printed in pink glory. I wore my new pink New Balance 993s that were given to me by James and his staff at New Balance Huntsville for organizing DIVA Night for area 3-Day walkers.

Later in the day, I received an email from teammate, Abby Clark, stating that the $250 donation from Breast Alliance had been posted to her account. Abby and I were both finalists in the “Meet Your Goal” contests sponsored by Breast Alliance and All Plus Size Bras. It became a battle between me and one other person for first place and I emailed Brian from Breast Alliance to ask if I won, could the money be re-directed to another 3-Day walker and he said yes. My teammates, my Facebook friends and 3-Day Tweeps went to work. We worked our magic and I won by 1 vote.

Pink for Life and New Balance will be hosting a Breast Cancer Survivors' Walk Tuesday, October 5 @ 6:30. Know a survivor? Want to walk with us? Email me for more information. Click here to view the invitation and RSVP.

Several of my teammates will be participating in the 7^th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run on Saturday, October 16 and it would be great to see you along the route supporting all the runners and walkers. I will be attempting my first 5k after 10 weeks of NOBO training through Fleet Feet.

Three weeks from today, October 22, my teammates and I will be pounding the streets of Atlanta in the boldest breast cancer event, the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. My team now consists of 11 walkers and 3 crew members. We have raised over $28,000 but still have three team members who need to reach the $2,300 minimum in order to participate. If you have been waiting to make a donation, NOW is the time. All donations are tax deductible. Please consider donating to Abby, Donna or Sandra. http://the3day.org/goto/pinkforlife

If you can’t donate financially, please consider sending a note or letter of encouragement/support to us as a team (Pink for Life) or individually. After walking 20+ miles in one day, an uplifting word of encouragement or hand drawn picture from a child is just what we will need to make it another day. All letters must be postmarked by October 12 in order for us to receive at camp.

Pink for Life team members:
Tammy Klueger
Trina Foslien
Jenny McNees
Stacie Flinn
Mary Wilson
Jennifer Secrest
Joyce Myers
Rachael Myers (crew)
Lindsey Fowler (crew)
Abby Clark
Susan Foerke
Sandra Baker

Charles Baker (crew)

Donna Skinner

3-Day for the Cure
ATTN: NAME OF PARTICIPANT
12195 Highway 92, Suite 114-392
Woodstock, GA 30188

Thank you to everyone for your support along this incredible journey since February! I just might register for 2011 :)

September Update

Only 43 days until I hit the streets of Atlanta to conquer 60 miles in 3 days! If you haven't donated yet, please do so today. Your donation is 100% tax deductible. Click here to donate.

The training miles are really adding up quickly. So far I've walked 371 miles and raised $2,970. Our team is walking every weekend and you are welcome to join us. Just let me know you are interested and I can send you an invitation.

I am also running on Monday and Thursday nights in preparation for the 7th Annual Liz Hurley Ribbon Run one week before walking in Atlanta. You may donate to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation by clicking here. All money raised will be used to bring Breast Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) to the Tennessee Valley. BSGI is a follow-up to mammography that can significantly aid in the detection of early breast cancer by providing a more precise image of breast tissue. BSGI aids in determining the extent of the disease and provides less false positive readings than previous technologies. Early detection saves lives…help us make every breast cancer patient a survivor!

If you are a 3 Day walker within driving distance of Huntsville, you are invited to DIVA Night at New Balance Friday, September 17. Send me an email and I'll give you the details!

Pink for Life and New Balance will be hosting a Breast Cancer Survivors' Walk Tuesday, October 5 @ 6:30. Know a survivor? Email me and I'll pass along the details.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and New Balance of Huntsville will donate $1 of every sale to Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure on behalf of our team. Please visit James and his staff and show your support for Pink for Life. New Balance is located at 1395 Enterprise Way between Five Guys and Jason's Deli.

Team Pink for Life would like to officially welcome Abby Clark  and Susan Foerke to our team! Together we have raised over $24,000 for breast cancer research and community programs.

79 days and counting

Yes, you read that correctly! In 79 days my team and I will hit the streets of Atlanta to conquer 60 miles in 3 days. As each day passes and The 3-Day event gets closer I get more anxious. I'm hopeful that all the training miles will leave each of us with the least amount of blisters possible. However, we will have body glide, mole skin and all the other first aid items we will need. If we don't have it, you can bet some other 3 Day walker will!

Boston and Cleveland have already experienced the thrill of hosting hundreds and even thousands of walkers and crew members in their cities. Chicago is the next city to host the 3 Day community. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the updates to start flowing in. I get so emotional looking at the pictures and reading updates from the walkers.

I'm going to leave you with a recent article in a Texas newspaper. If it touches you, please donate to our team and help us find a cure. Click here to donate.

3 Day Happenings

Wow, wow, wow! Mary, Lindsey and myself hit the road at 5:15am  Saturday and drove to Atlanta for the preview expo. We made a pit stop in Cartersville for a drink and three guys were leaving and asked when we were walking (they read the magnet on my car) and gave me a donation. How awesome is that? Thanks @knittingbagel for your magnet design!

This past weekend was the first official 3 Day walk in Boston. Many walkers kept all of us updated via Facebook, blogger and twitter. I got chills and even shed some tears reading the updates and looking at the pictures from the event. I saw pics of one lady with a cast on her arm and another lady walking on crutches. That is dedication! There were pictures of survivors at cheering stations thanking the walkers for what they are doing.

While Boston had it's share of walkers and crew, Atlanta had hundreds of people at the Preview Expo. There were tables all around the room with information for crew, make a sign, training walks, find a team, etc. New Balance and REI were on hand to sell merchandise at a discount to the 3 Day walkers. Breakout sessions were available for blister care, injury prevention, life on the 3 day, and attack the pack. Lindsey got to speak with the Crew Coach and was assigned to team signage. She is so excited!

Lindsey and the Atlanta banner.

Mary and Tammy

Training walk leaders featured.Who is in the lower left corner?

I even got to meet some of my 3 Day tweeps for a picture with the Atlanta banner.

@abby3dayatlanta, @gphigirl, @2girls2boys, @LilShadetree, @jerusalemlover

All of this excitement has motivated me even more and my team still needs your donations. We want to be a power team and need to raise $23,100 in order to do so. Please consider a tax deductible donation today. Click here to donate.

100 Days - The Countdown is ON!

100 days from today team Pink for Life will have completed 20+ miles on the first day of the 3 Day event. Online check-in opened yesterday and several of us have already checked in. Six of our seven walkers have met the required minimum $2300 in order to participate. We still need your help to get our seventh walker to the minimum. You may donate online to Jennifer Secrest here. Remember your donation is tax deductible and greatly appreciated!

Shop for the Cure was a huge success this past Friday despite the rain and we raised over $1500 for Susan G. Komen. Thanks to all of our friends and family for coming out to support us! We have now raised over $16,000 for breast cancer research and community outreach programs.

Our third car wash is planned for this Saturday but the forecast is now calling for a 60% chance of rain. Seriously considering canceling it!

Saturday, July 24 is the Preview Expo in Atlanta. Six of the nine team members will be hitting the road with excitement. We will get to practice tent set-up, meet the crew, attend workshops and take our picture with the 3 Day for the Cure Banner. Lindsey and Rachael will attend the Crew 101 workshop.

Saturday, July 31, Mary and I will travel to Cullman for a 15 mile training walk with Team Brock 360 and other area 3 Day walkers at Heritage Park.

If you'd like to be included on any of our training walks, send me an email and I'll put you on the distribution list.

I did it!

With your donations, generosity, support and encouragement, I have exceeded the required minimum donation of $2,300 in less than four months. I feel much more needs to be said but all I can say is THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart and sore feet :) Together we can make a difference!

Our team still has several members that need to meet the minimum and I am asking my friends and family to please click on a team member's name and help us reach our goal of $17,500. Donate here. Please keep in mind that as a member of the 3 Day Crew, Rachael and Lindsey are not required to raise funds. However, you may donate to them if you wish.

Keep in mind that we will be sleeping in 6x6 tents, taking showers in a semi, using port-a-potties, no electricity for a hair dryer or flat iron and walking 60 miles in 3 days.

Your donations will help fund a cure for breast cancer. Much has been done in the recent years to extend the lives of many men and women effected by breast cancer and recently a vaccine has been developed. Clinical tests are currently underway on humans and hopefully it will be available soon.

I hope everyone understands that the 3 Day isn't ALL about the money. It really is about raising awareness and I have had several people tell me 'thank you' for what I'm doing. With all of my Facebook status changes, event fliers and emails, they have discovered a lump or spot on their breast(s) and gone to the doctor to have it checked. Some have even had their FIRST mammogram experience since I've joined the 3 Day family :)

Keep current on all our events by following Pink for Life on Facebook.

Watch Us Grow

Isn't that the saying when a business expands? Pink for Life is growing and I'm loving it! We now officially have seven members with one more to join soon. I am so excited to see what this journey has in store for all of us.

If you are in Huntsville or surrounding area, please visit these restaurants/locations who are graciously supporting Pink for Life.

If you aren't following us on facebook, what are you waiting for? We list all of our events and happenings along with any other exciting news in the breast cancer world.

Just an update on my personal donation page. I am at 79% of meeting the $2300 minimum and 73% of meeting my goal of $2500. I think it's time to increase my goal.

Want to join our team or donate? Click here.

How many fundraisers does it take to drive a team captain batty?

Where do I begin? Honestly, I don't know. I have so many things going on and I MUST gain control before it's too late. I have several fundraisers for myself and the team has several as well. Add a birthday party in the mix and I'm ready for Calgon!

Individual fundraisers:

• Sewgirlie.com will donate 10% of your purchase (before shipping) to Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure on my behalf. You must type "Klueger" in the comments section at checkout.
• Angelofgrace.com has provided beautiful breast cancer awareness bracelets for me to sell.
• 2010-2011 breast cancer awareness planners
• Breast cancer awareness checkbook covers
• Baking and selling items at work
• Online Pampered Chef party scheduled for May

Team fundraisers:

• Family Fun Walk (tomorrow)
• Penny Wars at the elementary school (April 26 - May 14)
• Four car washes (May, June, July, August)
• Vendor Party (July)
• Rummage Sale (not scheduled yet)

Our team is expanding thanks to some encouraging/inspiring teammates. Keep up the great work ladies.

We received our team t-shirts Tuesday and they are________. You fill in the blank. Adult sizes are $15 and youth sizes are $10.Please let me know if you would like to purchase a Pink for Life shirt.

I also received our banner to use at fundraisers Tuesday. I will probably order two more and maybe larger ones. What do you think?

 If you would like to donate or join our team, please visit http://the3day.org/goto/pinkforlife.

Pink for Life Expands

Team Pink for Life now has three members (myself, Jenny McNees and Trina Foslien). We had a 5 mile training walk this past Saturday and three other ladies joined us. I'm hoping two of them will join Pink for Life. The more the merrier :) If you are reading this (Joyce and Mary), please consider joining us. I really enjoyed getting to know you both.

We have several fundraising ideas and need to sit down and discuss what we want to do. I have no doubt that we all will raise more than our minimum requirement of $2300.

If you have already donated, THANK YOU! If you haven't, you can donate securely online at http://the3day.org/goto/tammyk

My donations to date are $1405 and $1095 from my goal of $2500.

Training and Donation Update

It's officially spring break but our weather is still cool and windy. The weather hasn't cooperated over the last two weeks so I'm running a little behind on training. We still have 31 weeks until the event so we should have plenty of time to get our training completed.

Team Pink for Life is planning the first fundraiser and details will be posted when it is finalized.

Donations were mailed last week and I have more to mail this week. Once it's all posted, I will be at $1355 and only $1145 from my goal. I can't explain how much each generous donation means to me. I get excited every time I see the email from Susan G. Komen that a donation has been made on my behalf :) I wish ALL of you could be at the closing ceremony to experience this wonderful event.

I made a ribbon tree to visually honor those that I'm walking for. It is quite the conversation starter at work and has even caused some people to donate who might not have otherwise. The picture was taken at home with poor lighting so I will try to remember and take one of it sitting on my desk at work and re-post.

Donations are tax deductible and can be made online securely at http://the3day.org/goto/tammyk

Another Day, Another Dollar

34 weeks until the 3 Day in Atlanta. I've got my shoes and my fanny pack (maybe) and I started my own team. I've chosen the name Pink for Life. Of course pink representing breast cancer awareness and life so that we can find a cure for this monster and extend the lives of so many men and women. I have a couple of people working on a logo for tshirts and fundraising items. Can't wait to see what they create. Are you a master at fundraising? If so, share your ideas.

Tomorrow is another training walk and hopefully Jenny and Denise will be joining me. I will be in MS on Sunday and I'm hoping to convince two former classmates to join my team.

Before lunch today, I sent out another donation request to co-workers. With the cash donations/checks to be mailed, my donations now total $1020 and $1480 shy of my goal.

Have you made your tax deductible donation yet?
http://the3day.org/goto/tammyk

Donation update

In a previous post, I noted I was curious as to how long it would take for mailed donations to be recognized. I mailed two donations on Friday and they were posted to my account late yesterday afternoon. I mailed three more donations this afternoon. My donations total $335 to date. Only $2165 to go :)

I am anxious/excited for my training walk on Saturday with my new friends. I'll be sure to post afterwards. It's going to be cold so please keep us in your thoughts.

At the end of the 3 Day, we will have logged more than 645 miles. If that isn't commitment, I don't know what is.

Have you made your donation yet?
http://the3day.org/goto/tammyk