Over the weekend, more than 2,000 walkers crossed the Golden Gate Bridge in the 12th Annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. The San Francisco event raised $4 million, bumping this year’s fundraising total to $19.1 million, with three cities to go.
The Avon Foundation for Women hosts the Walks in eight cities annually in support of breast cancer research and education. The project has raised more than $500 million since the first Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in 2003.
Participants raise a minimum of $1,800 to walk either a marathon (26.2 miles) or a marathon-and-a-half (39.3 miles) over the course of the weekend. The proceeds from the San Francisco event will benefit both national and local organizations, including the Women’s Cancer Resource Center ($100,000); Stanford University ($150,000); Project Open Hand ($200,000); and San Francisco General Hospital ($500,000), which houses an Avon Breast Cancer Center of Excellence.