Today I wanted to share with you another really great program that benefits breast cancer care and support for those that are currently living with the disease. It’s called BeeWell Miles and is sponsored by Bumble Bee Tuna. The site allows you to log miles that you walk/run, and your miles (or cans of tuna purchased) help earn $200,000 for Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization.

You can also win one of 10,000 prizes they are giving away including tennis shoes, spa visits, pedometers, music downloads and more. It’s easy to sign up, and only takes a minute to log your miles each day. There are also lots of other great features and a spot to dedicate your walking to a loved one.

All you have to do is start walking or running and log your miles on this site from May 1 - September 30, 2008.

Your miles and our pink cans will help Bumble Bee donate up to $200,000 to Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization - the only breast cancer organization with a 24/7 Hotline staffed by trained breast cancer survivors.

This will be a fabulous way for me to track my 3-Day training miles, and is also a great way to further support other breast cancer charities out there. I hope that my fellow walkers will also sign up and help out.

For more information about the charity this program benefits, visit the Y-ME website.

Nikki bloged about The Breast Cancer Site awhile ago, and we have always had a link to them in our sidebar. They are the site that gives free mammograms to women in need. To do your part, all you have to do is click on their site daily.

Their sponsors provide the funding for the free mammograms that make early dectection possible for deserving women around the country. This month, June, one of the biggest sponsors, Bare Necessities is offering an extra $10,000 if they get 8 Million clicks to their site. They are 71% there, but with only 9 days left– they need your help! Please click and spread the word (via e-mail or your own blog post). We can help make a difference.

I am definitely not a fanny pack kind of girl. I’ve hated them since the 80s, and I still wince when my mom tries to wear one to the casinos or amusement parks. I’d been looking into buying a CamelBak for awhile and sought the advice of several other 3-Day walkers and blogging friends. I finally made the plunge yesterday by ordering a CamelBak Charm from eBags. Hopefully it will work out perfectly since I still haven’t had the time to go and try them on in a store. If not, they do offer free returns.

Also, they have a program where they give 10% of the purchase price to Susan G. Komen which is fabulous. My bag was only $28 plus tax and shipping. They also sent an eBags coupon code: PICKPINK for free shipping on a future purchase. Too bad I didn’t have this before! I thought I’d share it with all of you in case you’d like to order something too. It might come in handy when we are ready to order our gear bags too. I am still not sure what kind of bag would be best, so I am waiting for the EXPO in August before making a purchase.

Special thanks to everyone who has stopped by our blog to enter our contest for the iPod nano this week. We have received many wonderful donations, and we are so thankful and appreciative to you all for supporting our fundraising efforts. I just received a shipment of Memory Maker Breast Cancer Bracelets. If you would like one, we are asking for a $15 donation to our 3-Day account. Shipping is free. You can read the details below:

Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet. Charm bracelet with 3 reversible photo charms, hold 6 photos total. This encouraging bracelet is accented with a pink ribbon and two heart charms inscribed with the words Strength and Hope. 7.5”, Lobster claw closure, adjustable. Complete with instructions and EZ Fit™ Photo Reduction Templates. Holds photo size: 0.52” x 0.52”. Uses Square template.

If you have any questions or have already made a $15+ donation to either Nikki or myself and would like a bracelet, please send me an e-mail to: laurie_brosius(at)yahoo(dot)com. Thanks so much!

Yesterday I participated in the 18th Annual North Texas Race for the Cure with both of my parents. We walked 5K around the EDS complex in Plano with around 14,000 other people including at least 5000 Breast Cancer Survivors.

It was the perfect day too. It was overcast, but didn’t rain a drop. It’s been pretty hot here the past couple of weeks, so I am really glad that the weather turned out wonderful for the event. D drove us down early in the morning and picked us up near the Shops at Legacy when it was over.

Some wore pink signs on their backs in honor or in memory of lost loved ones.

This was a great practice walk for the 3-Day. Nikki and I have been training and leading walks in that neighborhood, so I was glad to learn a new route that we can try. It was nice that were were able to walk in the middle of the street too. I really don’t like walking in the grass.

Volunteers stood on several corners with signs and cheered the walkers on!

We made a few stops along the way. My dad stepped on my shoe and it came off, and he also had to stop to tie his shoes. There were also several water stations where we ran into “traffic” and weren’t able continue on at a good pace. Also toward the end walking into the tents there were too many people to keep up a good pace.

We finished an hour and 12 minutes at 9:12 AM.

We were somewhere in the middle of the pack when the race began at 8:00 AM. They let the hundreds of survivors start first, along with the racers who wanted to be timed. At the end, we were lead into the tent area where there were vendors with free food and a stage with bands playing. We also went into Elizabeth’s Garden where I picked up the tulip I had ordered in Memory of David’s mom. I am going to place it in front of our tent at the 3-Day too.

I feel so lucky and blessed that I was able to share this experience with both of my parents.

Hundreds of tulips lined the sidewalks in honor and in memory of loved ones.