Even the weather seemed to share the message of hope and perseverance that RISE spreads, as the clouds broke and the sun shone down on Auburn just as the seventh annual RISE and Walk was about to begin.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
At the start of the seventh annual RISE and Walk for Breast Cancer, Stacey Petrosino, of Auburn, the founder of the group, heads down Lincoln Street Sunday with fellow survivors following her, along with others who walk in memory and honor of people diagnosed with breast cancer.
At the start of the seventh annual RISE and Walk for Breast Cancer, Stacey Petrosino, of Auburn, the founder of the group, heads down Lincoln Street Sunday with fellow survivors following her, along with others who walk in memory and honor of people diagnosed with breast cancer.
The first weekend of Breast Cancer Awareness month was a natural time for the event. Volunteers not only from RISE, but from schools across the county.
Hundreds of people braved the cold winds of early October to offer support for this fundraiser hosted by the cancer awareness group RISE. The group, whose full name is Reaching & Inspiring Survivors Everywhere, was founded by Stacey Petrosino, it has hosted the RISE and Walk event since 2001.
The event serves as the primary fundraiser for the group, with 100 percent of all proceeds and donations going to support the financial needs of those diagnosed with breast cancer.
The fundraiser was centered around a walk that began at 1 p.m. at the parking lot across from Memorial City Hall and progressed down Loop Road past Wegmans, and then down Dill Street and back up to where it all began. There were also vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry to handbags and scarves, along with raffles and a chicken barbecue, sponsored by Aflac.
Joe Calarco, from Aflac, a long-time volunteer and sponsor for RISE, was supervising the barbecue. He said that the best part of RISE and events like the RISE and Walk were that, “You have local people helping local people. There really are not a lot of places to turn, and that support is what matters the most.”
Those who braved the cold were able to warm themselves up with hot cider and coffee. Survivors of breast cancer like Barbara Mulvey, not only volunteered for RISE but spread hope that the disease can be endured. Mulvey offers her thanks to Petrosino's group, and also praised RISE, saying “the whole point is to help the community, and it's great that unlike some of the bigger groups, none of the money goes to the people in charge.”
Mulvey explained that her diagnosis came as a huge shock, but people like Petrosino and the late Jenny Daddabbo helped her beat the disease and continue her life with hope.
Another cancer survivor, Jennifer Stuart, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 19 years old. She was able to beat the disease and go on to have two children. She maintains that nothing would have been possible without RISE.
“Stacey offered great help and encouragement. She helped me keep going without getting depressed.”
Petrosino said that all of the good works RISE accomplishes would not be impossible without the good will of the volunteers. After the walk concluded, she addressed the largest crowd that had ever attended and thanked the volunteers, crediting them for the hard work and dedication that allows RISE to bring hope to those suffering with breast cancer and to honor the memories of those who have passed.
Such assistance is more crucial now than ever, she said. “In our troubled economy, it can be even harder if you have cancer.”
The kind of assistance RISE offers helps people with costs that even insurance may not cover. RISE helps with expenses such as transportation, non prescription medical supplies and more.
A sea of pink balloons, some marked with impromptu memorials for victims of breast cancer, were released into the sky as Rare Earth's “I Just Want to Celebrate” blared from speakers and these survivors and their supporters enjoyed another day of life.
Hundreds of people braved the cold winds of early October to offer support for this fundraiser hosted by the cancer awareness group RISE. The group, whose full name is Reaching & Inspiring Survivors Everywhere, was founded by Stacey Petrosino, it has hosted the RISE and Walk event since 2001.
The event serves as the primary fundraiser for the group, with 100 percent of all proceeds and donations going to support the financial needs of those diagnosed with breast cancer.
The fundraiser was centered around a walk that began at 1 p.m. at the parking lot across from Memorial City Hall and progressed down Loop Road past Wegmans, and then down Dill Street and back up to where it all began. There were also vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry to handbags and scarves, along with raffles and a chicken barbecue, sponsored by Aflac.
Joe Calarco, from Aflac, a long-time volunteer and sponsor for RISE, was supervising the barbecue. He said that the best part of RISE and events like the RISE and Walk were that, “You have local people helping local people. There really are not a lot of places to turn, and that support is what matters the most.”
Those who braved the cold were able to warm themselves up with hot cider and coffee. Survivors of breast cancer like Barbara Mulvey, not only volunteered for RISE but spread hope that the disease can be endured. Mulvey offers her thanks to Petrosino's group, and also praised RISE, saying “the whole point is to help the community, and it's great that unlike some of the bigger groups, none of the money goes to the people in charge.”
Mulvey explained that her diagnosis came as a huge shock, but people like Petrosino and the late Jenny Daddabbo helped her beat the disease and continue her life with hope.
Another cancer survivor, Jennifer Stuart, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was just 19 years old. She was able to beat the disease and go on to have two children. She maintains that nothing would have been possible without RISE.
“Stacey offered great help and encouragement. She helped me keep going without getting depressed.”
Petrosino said that all of the good works RISE accomplishes would not be impossible without the good will of the volunteers. After the walk concluded, she addressed the largest crowd that had ever attended and thanked the volunteers, crediting them for the hard work and dedication that allows RISE to bring hope to those suffering with breast cancer and to honor the memories of those who have passed.
Such assistance is more crucial now than ever, she said. “In our troubled economy, it can be even harder if you have cancer.”
The kind of assistance RISE offers helps people with costs that even insurance may not cover. RISE helps with expenses such as transportation, non prescription medical supplies and more.
A sea of pink balloons, some marked with impromptu memorials for victims of breast cancer, were released into the sky as Rare Earth's “I Just Want to Celebrate” blared from speakers and these survivors and their supporters enjoyed another day of life.
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