A Day To Make Strides

There was a sea of pink in Point Pleasant Beach yesterday as some 20,000 people came to town for the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. 

Many got caught in traffic jams on their way to the parking lot at Arnold & Ocean Avenue which was where walk headquarters was set up but traffic was not a problem for my wife and me.  We just happened to be the first car in the parking lot, arriving at 6am which is a tradition for Jane but actually a first for me.

She is a breast cancer survivor and has participated in the walk for the last 8 years with family, friends and co-workers from Manchester Township High School.  Team Booberang does not just walk but actually makes the morning a mini tailgate party.

We left home at 5:30 in the morning with our first stop New York Bagels on Route 88 in Point Pleasant where Rich has donated bagels for the past several years.   Then we had to secure that very first parking spot near the balloon arch which serves as the starting point of the 3 plus mile walk.

The first members of the team began arriving shortly after sun rise and before long we were enjoy the bagels along with crumb cake, fruit, orange juice and even mimosas.   After the walk it was back to the car for subs which were generously donated by Peter Cancro of Jersey Mike’s, a nice little reward for members of the team.

Of course the focus on the walk and the event is to raise money so one day there will be no Making Strides because a cure has been found for breast cancer.  However it’s much more than that as it’s amazing to see people of all walks to life come together in pink, men and women, young and old.

Some do it for those who are battling the disease and others in memory of those who did not survive.  You’ll find groups of cheerleaders, sports teams, youth organizations and more from all over the shore area.  Kudos to Point Pleasant Beach officials for embracing the event. They even painted fire hydrants and street lines pink for the occasion.  Plus the police do a great job of traffic control and moving things along.

It’s an uplifting morning that involves hundreds of volunteers assisting the American Cancer Society and if you’ve never done it before put it on your calendar for next October.  Just don’t plan on being the first car in the parking lot.