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Street Kids Among
1,200 Walking for Cure
Softball
team joined by family and friends Saturday morning
South Bend-
The
temperature at 8am on Saturday morning was a mere 31 degrees. But the frigid
October wind and early morning frost didn’t stop the 1,200 plus heartfelt souls
from braving the elements. They were all joining part in the Making Strides for
Breast Cancer Awareness Walk, an organized event to help raise money for the
American Cancer Society, specifically breast cancer awareness.
Among
the participants were players from the Zolman Tire/Street Kids/Tanel softball
team along with their families and friends.
They walked under the team name of Street Kids Care, the division of SK
Softball that is dedicated to helping others in the community. Courtney Jorgensen, the SK coordinator for
the event, was ecstatic at the turnout.
“It
was so cold and so early that I didn’t think people would come out,” Jorgensen
said. “I was so impressed that everyone came out and showed their support for
such a worthy cause. Breast cancer is a very personal disease to my family and
I am so thankful to have the support of the Street Kids team, as well as other
friends and family that walked with us.”
Among
the walkers on Saturday morning was Judi Jorgensen, mother of Street Kids
manager TJ Jorgensen and Courtney’s mother in law. Judi was diagnosed with breast cancer over four years ago and has
fought the disease with proper medicine and is now cancer-free. She was among over 100 survivors on hand at
the event and was also interviewed by the local NBC affiliate, WNDU TV, with
her Street Kids Care team around her.
“I
am here walking for not just the awareness of this dreadful disease but for the
brave women – and men – who have fought the terrors and agony of breast cancer
and are here to talk about it today,” she said. “There are so many out there
who couldn’t be here or have unfortunately passed away from the disease and I
am here for them also.”
Judi has always supported
the Street Kids team, in all of their efforts, and Saturday was no different.
“I
am so proud of my daughter-in-law Courtney, my wonderful son TJ, along with his
softball team and friends,” she went on to tell WNDU TV reporter Stephanie
Stang, who was joined on camera by morning TV host, Tricia Sloma. “I just hope
I can walk without too much pain!”
Judi
was using a walker to help her along and she in fact was able to make it over
two miles of the 3.5 mile walk. TJ
Jorgensen was overjoyed at the turnout as well.
“We
were able to come out here in our hot pink shirts with our special message on
the back and let everyone know that we care about the awareness of this
horrible disease,” TJ said. “Several people that saw our shirts made statements
to a few of us that they heard about us or they heard we were coming out here
or whatever. That was nice to hear
because that means all the hard work we did of promoting this walk was worth
it. If we save only one life because of
the awareness we started locally (the Making Strides event) then that is truly
a miracle.”
Joining
the Street Kids Care team this weekend were Hank Minix and his wife Ember and
son Conner; JR Shapiro, Tony Hardiman, Cody Potter, Mark Patterson with his
fiancé Tiffany Main and their two children Devin and Natalie; Mike Lentych, Steven
Morrow, Lisa Wetmore, Brad and Meredith Allsop and their twin children Maia and
Quinn; and TJ and Courtney’s children Johnathon, Joshua, Joey and Isabella
Jorgensen, and of course, TJ’s mother, Judi Jorgensen.
The
team was able to raise over $600 personally for the event, which is not bad
given that they started near the end of September.
The Street Kids Care team would like to thank the following people
for their kind donations:
Sports
Image Apparel of Indiana (donated 40 pink SK shirts)
Bob Maison from Starcraft
Bus, Inc. (sister in law Sally Baird is a breast cancer survivor)
Mike
Maison from Starcraft Bus, Inc. (Aunt Sally Baird is a breast cancer survivor)
Ralph
Grienke of Stencils and Stripes Unlimited
Mary
Cagnon (grandmother of Courtney and breast cancer survivor)
Cindy
Stender
Kim
Kudelka
Allsop
Restoration
Diane
Cagnon-Ciolek (her mother Mary is a survivor)
Jeff
and Tina Arnold
Aon,
Inc.
The
Jorgensen Family
Among the survivors that
the Street Kids Care team walked in honor of:
Judi
Jorgensen
Delphine Pintar
Mary
Cagnon
Barbara
Fack
Nancy
Knott
Sally
Baird
And those that succumbed to the disease:
Mildred
Henscel
Vera
Proske
“There
are many more people out there that may be effected by this disease,” TJ
Jorgensen added. “The hearts of the
Street Kids Care team, along with everyone involved with our team and
organization go out to those listed above as well as those we may not be aware
of. Every day we read about hero’s like
Shaquille O’Neal, Derek Jeter or Reggie Bush.
To me, the real hero’s are the women who survived and continue to
survive breast cancer. The six survivors that we walked for on Saturday are
true miracles and proves that building awareness really works.”
By participating in Making Strides, those who walked on
Saturday collaborated with the largest nongovernmental supporter of breast
cancer research helping to save lives and provide assistance to those impacted
by the disease. To learn more about how your dollars are at work fighting this
disease, go to www.cancer.org/makingstrides
and click on the Breast Cancer Programs link on the left navigation bar. But,
more importantly, if you or someone you know is in need of breast cancer information
or support services visit www.cancer.org or call 1-800-ACS-2345. They are there
to serve you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please don’t hesitate to contact
them.
You can still make a donation to the American Cancer Society
on behalf of the Street Kids Softball team by clicking on the link here. If you are unable to reach the site by
clicking, simply copy the link below and paste it in your browser.
More
about Making Strides
The
American Cancer Society has been waging war against cancer for nearly a
century, and our commitment to defeating the disease has never wavered. Our
lifesaving efforts are funded exclusively by the generosity of donors like you.
With offices in 3,400 communities across the country, we are here to help. You
can reach us 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year for information
and assistance at 1.800.ACS.2345 or www.cancer.org.
Since
1993 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer has raised more than $194 million in
additional funding to support the Society’s breast cancer research, education,
advocacy, and service programs.
Research
The American Cancer Society is the nation’s largest nongovernmental supporter
of breast cancer research. Since 1972, the Society has funded $290 million in
breast cancer research grants, including grants that supported the development
of tamoxifen and the discovery of the breast cancer gene. Funds raised through
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer help unravel the mystery of how breast
cancer begins and help us seek better ways to prevent, detect, and treat the
disease.
Education
The American Cancer Society reaches thousands of women in hundreds of
communities nationwide each year with the lifesaving message that early
detection can mean the difference between life and death. Programs like Tell A
Friend® help women spread the word to their
peers about the importance of mammograms and early detection.
The American Cancer Society works hard to keep breast cancer funding a top
priority with our nation’s lawmakers. We helped ensure enactment of the federal
Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act to help low-income women obtain cancer
treatment. We also actively advocate for any legislation that will improve the
quality of treatment for breast cancer patients and the quality of life for
breast cancer survivors. Visit our Cancer Action Network at www.acscan.org/makingstrides
to learn more.
Patient Services
The American Cancer Society offers services to ensure that cancer patients and
their loved ones do not have to face cancer alone. Reach to Recovery®
pairs trained breast cancer survivors with people facing the disease to offer
hope, knowledge, and emotional support. Look Good … Feel Better®
offers free beauty consultations to help cancer patients restore their
self-image and cope with appearance-related side effects.
Cancer
Survivors Network is a web-based support service for cancer survivors, their
families, caregivers and friends across the nation via www.acscsn.org.
The
American Cancer Society's
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