Core Mission for Support Connection Remains Same at 30 Years

It’s been 30 years since Support-A-Walk was first held to provide support to individuals and family members coping with breast and ovarian cancer.

The non-profit organization Support Connection, based in Yorktown, was created a year later, and with more than 20,000 people served and counting, its core mission remains constant: Helping change fear to hope by providing free emotional, social and educational support to anyone affected by breast, ovarian or gynecological cancer.

“We’re walking to make lives better,” said Support Connection’s longtime Executive Director Kathy Quinn. “We have been blessed. For 30 years, the Support-A-Walk has been the engine that keeps Support Connection running. While much has changed over the years, much has remained the same. Very importantly, we share the important message that no one has to be alone with cancer.”

The event in 1995, dubbed Share-A-Walk, drew about 800 participants—four times what organizers projected. Since then, more than 8,000 people gather annually at FDR State Park for a morning of celebrating life and remembering loved ones who displayed bravery and courage fighting their disease.

Andrea Della Mura addressed the crowd in 1995 as a 24-year-old who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Now 55 and owner of a recently opened wellness business in Rye, she recalled being petrified but also empowered in encouraging women to get mammograms.

“I thought to myself, people are going to realize that cancer doesn’t discriminate,” said Della Mura, now a two-time breast cancer survivor. “This is going to open people’s eyes, and they’re going to go home and talk about it. I was in awe. I remember people were stopping me and telling me that my words resonated with them. They saw me as their daughter, their granddaughter, their niece, their neighbor.”

Ilene Cohen was in shock when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 30 years ago. Support Connection did not exist yet at the time, but when she learned about Support-A-Walk a few years later, she decided to lend a hand, and became the Volunteer Coordinator.

On Sunday, October 6, she will be manning the Volunteer Check-In desk at the walk, which starts promptly at 10 a.m. following about an hour of pre-walk activities.

“It’s heartening to meet and thank each of the walk volunteers as they arrive for their assignments,” Cohen stated. “This year, on the 30^th anniversary since the first walk, it will be especially exciting to see their enthusiasm and joy knowing the impact they are having on the success of the Support-A-Walk. Because of it, Support Connection is able to make a great difference in the lives of people.”

Quinn, who attended the first walk with her daughter in honor of a good friend who had breast cancer and then helped Support Connection get off the ground with co-founders Nancy Heller and Richard Adamski, emphasized Support-A-Walk is the organization’s largest fundraiser—representing 40 percent of its annual revenue.

The financial goal of the walk is $250,000, but this year, for the 30^th anniversary, the goal is to raise $300,000. Of every dollar donated, 88¢ directly funds support services. Support Connection does not receive funds from any national cancer organizations including Relay for Life, Susan G. Komen, or Making Strides.

“We get so many donations from people we helped,” Quinn said. “My goal is to build up a major gift program. The walk is where it all began and the walk continues to be a symbol for support, hope and unity.”

Of course, another key component of Support Connection are the professional peer counselors, who are all cancer survivors and know first-hand the fears and concerns cancer patients have.

Robin Perlmutter, who has been a peer counselor for 18 years, mentioned the power of Support-A-Walk.

“Holding the walk at FDR Park for all these years it is as if the ground has absorbed the collective strength and love our mission represents and the incredible lives of all those we have made a difference in,” she stated. “I am honored to be part of this mission and have personally witnessed the immeasurable difference the organization makes in the lives of women and families when life is turned upside down by a breast, ovarian or gynecological cancer diagnosis.”

“We are a constant in people’s lives regardless of where they are on the journey or what else is happening,” Perlmutter continued. “We are with them every step of the way. We make sure no one makes the journey alone.”

Della Mura will be the keynote speaker at this year’s walk. Teams are formed to honor friends or family members who are battling cancer or died from the disease. The walk path is lined with signs that pay tribute to survivors and loved ones.

To learn more about the Support-A-Walk, or to donate or participate, visit www.supportconnection.org/support-a-walk, or contact Support Connection: 914-962-6402 or walk@supportconnection.org.