The DONNA Foundation Honors Breast Cancer Awareness Month

The DONNA Foundation today announced its plans to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. The DONNA Foundation, which is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary year, will highlight this important awareness month through multiple survivorship initiatives and events.

The DONNA Foundation will kick off the festivities on October 1 with the start of the DONNA 110 Mile-a-Day Challenge, an initiative that encourages Jacksonville residents to get moving to promote health. New studiesshow exercise during cancer treatment aids in recovery, reduces adverse treatment-related effects and lowers cancer-specific as well as overall mortality by up to 50%. The Foundation’s goal is to engage cancer patients, caregivers, survivors and supporters to walk a combined 20,000 miles by the 2023 DONNA Marathon Weekend, set for February 3-5, 2023. Those who participate in the DONNA 110 Mile-a-Day challenge will be invited to join others for the one-mile run/walk for select Galloway Training runs including the kick-off event during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Additionally, the Foundation will kick off DONNA Marathon Weekend training with a Galloway DONNA Kick-off Training Event on October 15 at the Baymeadows First Place Sports store (located at 3931 Baymeadows Rd), a longtime partner of The DONNA Foundation. This festival will feature Olympian Jeff Galloway and The DONNA Foundation Founder Donna Deegan officially kicking off training for those aiming for their first (or best) DONNA marathon or half-marathon, with both three-mile and one-mile run/walk options. The morning will include an introduction to The DONNA Foundation and the Jeff Galloway method of training, as well as opportunities to meet Jacksonville Galloway Training partners and group leaders. The event will also debut the DONNA Walk with a Doc program, where breast cancer physicians and their patients will walk together to celebrate survivorship and Breast Cancer Awareness Month together. The event is free and open to the public.

The Foundation’s impact report will also be published this Fall. Highlights from the 2022 fiscal year include:

• The DONNA CareLine served 1,891 patients and families last year, a 24% increase over the previous year. The organization
• anticipates serving 2,000 patients during its 20th year.
  
  
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• Over $662,000 in financial services were provided to breast cancer patients and families, including $90,000 in
• direct financial aid.

“We surround breast cancer patients and families with love every day at The DONNA Foundation, and we are always glad when we have the opportunity to highlight the wonderful efforts taking place in our backyard to honor survivorship,” said Amanda Napolitano, Executive Director of the DONNA Foundation. “We are grateful for our many local and national business partners that Turn Up the Pink with us each year during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. With every partnership, more families get the support they need. As we celebrate 20 years together, we are looking forward to a future that is breast cancer free.”

Registration for 2023 DONNA Marathon Weekend races and fundraising is now open at BreastCancerMarathon.com. Information and free guest registration for the Galloway DONNA Training kick-off is available at breastcancermarathon.com/jeff-galloway-training-program/.

For more information, visit thedonnafoundation.org.