Mother-daughter team to walk 60 miles to benefit breast cancer treatment
A girl’s sweet 16 can be a big deal. But one local teen is hoping her upcoming birthday will make a big difference for others, too.
Meagan Clawar and her mother, Kathleen, will be traveling to Philadelphia just weeks before her birthday to walk 60 miles in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. The walks are held in cities across the country and together have raised about $2 billion to fund breast cancer research and treatment since 1982.
Meagan Clawar said she’s hoping she can make a difference by participating.
I just thought it was something bold and something not everyone’s done. And it really can make a difference, she said. `People in future generations won’t have to walk hopefully.`
Kathleen will be accompanying her daughter because she’s a minor.
`She approached me one night and said, ‘Mom, I know what I want to do for my 16th birthday,’` Kathleen Clawar said. `I just assumed parties, or going out for dinner or whatever. … I was definitely very proud and moved.`
Having a team of two also doubles the amount they have to raise, though. In addition to a $90 entrance fee, each walker must raise a $2,300 donation. While that means the event can make a big financial impact in fighting a serious disease, it also means the Clawars are looking to the community to help them make the trip a reality.
As the name suggests, Komen walkers spend three days covering, in this case, 60 miles. Walkers sleep overnight in tents set up in parks or at schools and take food from cafeterias. It’s a step beyond many fundraiser walks, and it’s sure to be a memorable experience for the mother/daughter team.
The Clawars reside in Glenmont. Meagan Clawar will be entering her junior year at Bethlehem Central High School, and she runs on the cross-country team. Earlier in the year, she helped organize a fundraiser for relief in Japan that had individuals and businesses buying paper cranes to construct a giant mobile. About $2,000 was raised.
You can donate to the Clawars online at
www.the3day.org/goto/birthdaywishes.
So far they’ve put together over $1,000, but they still have a long way to go before the Oct. 14 step off. “