On Sunday, Pamela Copeland will do something that’s become quite routine every year, but is also still very near and dear to her heart. She and thousands of other Nevadans will participate in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at the Red Rock Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd.
Copeland, a retiree and 40-year veteran of the local hospitality industry, is a regular at the annual fundraising walk. Her husband, Jeff, organizes her fundraising efforts, as she partners with friends and family each year with the hopes of raising about $2,000. Copeland walked in the first Making Strides event more than two decades ago. She regularly participates partly as a reminder of her own breast cancer journey.
“When I first started walking it was very personal because I was diagnosed with breast cancer 24 years ago,” Copeland said. “The American Cancer Society, I can’t tell you how much help they were to me. They gave me the information I needed but also the love, the attention, I needed in order to understand what I was about to go through.”
About the event, cause
This year the Making Strides walk site opens at 7 a.m. on Oct. 30 and the walk starts at 8:30 a.m. Proceeds support breast cancer research as well as critical programs for those on a cancer journey. Some of those programs include the American Cancer Society’s round-the-clock helpline, 800-227-2345; the Road to Recovery program, which provides transportation to appointments for patients, as well as the Reach to Recovery volunteer support effort.
Eager to pay forward the good she experienced from her support team, Reach to Recovery gives Copeland an opportunity to connect with those newly diagnosed or in the middle of their cancer journeys so that she can now offer them support. Copeland’s husband also benefited from the guidance and reassurance he and his wife received from the American Cancer Society support teams, whether they were health care experts or breast cancer treatment survivors themselves.
“We knew very little about what could cause this, what’s behind it, what the chemo treatments were going to do, and when we walked into the American Cancer Society office … the information they were able to give us to help deal with this and understand this was beneficial beyond anything we could possibly say in words,” Jeff added.
Fundraising goals, facts and figures
This year’s Las Vegas Making Strides event is expected to host between 15,000 and 20,000 participants with the hope of raising $400,000, said Angela VanBrackle, the Las Vegas Making Strides executive director. Last year, the event drew 12,000 participants and raised $350,000.
Like other nonprofit efforts, Making Strides is still trying to get back to its pre-pandemic fundraising glory days. Prior to the pandemic, the event raised $900,000 annually, the executive director said; but that doesn’t mean this year’s event will be short on excitement or areas to peruse, pause and make memories.
“Our sponsors are excited to support our walkers,” she added. “Our survivor/thriver area also will be open to all survivors/thrivers, and one guest, who will receive some amazing goodies and gifts. Participants also are invited to stop by our Wall of Hope and Tribute Garden to write a message to honor survivors/thrivers or in memory of someone … lost to cancer. We also will have some great photo opportunities at our photo booth, giant pink chair and with local entertainment.”
This year, Making Strides added a new support area for locals, where area nonprofits that serve cancer patients can educate visitors on the resources they have in place to support Nevada’s cancer patient population.
Years of fundraising for breast cancer support programs, overall awareness, early screenings and treatment research have made a positive impact. Breast cancer deaths have declined 40 percent since 1989, VanBrackle noted. However, cases overall are still on the rise.
Last year there were about 2,300 new breast cancer cases in Nevada. This year’s estimate is around 2,570, according to the American Cancer Society. But with more people opting for regular mammograms, breast cancers can now be caught at earlier stages, increasing the likelihood of survival.
Copeland saw firsthand the benefits of the programs Making Strides supports; so naturally, she’ll continue to mark those October dates every year going forward.
“I did this in the beginning, 24 years ago, for personal reasons; but now today … I do it for not just me, but for everyone. I do it for those that didn’t make it. I do it for all of those that have touched me in my life. I do it for all of those going through that journey I had to go through, all of us, including men,” Copeland added.
To learn more about the event, visit MakingStridesWalk.org/lasvegasnv. Register on the website or call 1-800-227-2345. You also may register on the day of the walk, but pre-registering will save you time, VanBrackle emphasized.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were not involved in the creation of this content.