Don’t Let What’s Happening on Wall Street and Main Street Make Us Forget – It’s Time To Take to the Real Street and Take Aim at Breast Cancer!
Contributed by Julia Kaufmann-Yu
Most of us feel helpless in the face of the “perfect storm” brewing on Wall Street and Main Street. So now may be a good time to focus what we DO have control over and remember that each one of us can make a difference in the crusade to eradicate breast cancer.
Yes, it’s October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month – time to re-commit our time and energy to this important cause that affects one more of us women every three minutes!
When I think about this time last year, there’s very little that hasn’t changed, not only in the financial landscape, with the credit crisis and proposed government bailout, but in my personal life as well. Last year I was a stay-at-home-mom with three little ones and my own little business. I was just starting to look inward to figure out what was next for me. I channeled all my anger about a friend dying of breast cancer into making a difference when my then-pregnant cousin was diagnosed with the deadly disease. (She’s since beat the cancer and delivered a healthy boy.)
It was around that time that I heard a commercial for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on the radio and signed up within minutes. I felt empowered that I, through my fundraising efforts and participation, could make a difference in the lives and fate of women affected by breast cancer.
The 39-mile walk itself was both inspiring and humbling. Over the 2 days, I really felt the camaraderie and strength of the walkers/fundraisers banding together in their common goal to abolish this disease.
Today I’m back to work with a large financial institution. I’m juggling my many roles — mom, employee, wife, involved citizen (in light of the upcoming election) and philanthropic novice. Upon re-entering the mainstream workforce, I was determined to find means by which my firm’s corporate footprint could support the grassroots efforts of the many women and men at the firm who are touched by breast cancer. With the help of a senior executive (who is a breast cancer survivor), I began to connect the firm’s women’s network and philanthropic channels regarding this worthy cause. I hope to continue to embed breast cancer awareness and corporate support for this cause into the firm’s infrastructure over time.
I believe in the power in numbers so I’m calling on all Wall Street and other women’s networks to organize a coalition of smart, energetic breast cancer-defying women. In bringing together our collective influence and ideas, we will have a profound impact on how this disease is approached by the corporations that employ us and give us working women and others interested a common forum.
The credit crunch frenzy, compounded with the zany lives we all lead, make this sound like yet another drain on our already limited time. Still, I see a coalition that comes together on an as-needed basis to exchange information, build strong networks and identify common goals as empowering to each of us. We can make a difference by constructing a shared purpose and momentum for this coalition and its mission.
I am walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer again this year and can, with pride, thank all of my supporters who, in the seven days since I registered, helped me exceed my fundraising goals. I will soon write about this weekend’s Walk. In the meantime, if you are interested in becoming a member of the proposed Wall Street women’s coalition, please reply with your ideas and encourage others to do the same.
To learn more about the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer log on to the Walk’s home page and feel free to visit my Avon Walk page to support my ongoing fundraising efforts.
