The Hope Village a Space of Warmth and Camaraderie at the MORE THAN PINK Walk
At the 2020 Komen New Jersey MORE THAN PINK Walk on October 4 at Six Flags Great Adventure, the Hope Village will be available as a designated, special area for breast cancer survivors and those living with metastatic disease to mingle and gather during the morning and throughout the day.
In the Hope Village, a host of activities and goodies await — a greeting of pink beads representing years of survivorship, coffee and refreshments, raffles, pillar artwork and more.
A space of warmth and camaraderie for many, five participants share below why spending time in the Hope Village supporting one another is one of their favorite parts of Walk day.
Janet Marzocca — Coming Back Year After Year
“Hope Village is just that, HOPE. I want everyone that walks through the tent to feel the love and the camaraderie that we all feel for each other. I want the new survivors to feel HOPE that they will, one day, be wearing so many beads that their neck hurts! I want them to look around and feel the HOPE that they will be back next year and the year after that and the year after that! I want them to feel so much love that they want to come back and work in the tent and pay it forward. I want them to know that we are all in this together. I HOPE they know we are here for them.” — Janet Marzocca
Audrey Roth — Sharing a Common Goal
“My husband Howard and I have been volunteering at Hope Village for several years. We have personally witnessed closeup, the courage, strength, and gratitude of our dearest friend and survivor, Janet. In the faces of attendees within Hope Village’s tent, we watch over the heartwarming gathering of survivors gaining strength from each other and their loving families. It is an honor to share in the common goal of defeating breast cancer.” — Audrey Roth
Ceil Gallucci — An Attitude of Warmth
“Twenty years ago, right after my diagnosis and surgery, I attended my first Race For The Cure. Feeling nervous and anxious, I remember seeing all of the pink shirts, making me realize I really wasn’t alone. One of my favorite parts of the day at the Walk is being in the Hope Village tent. The warm and friendly attitude of everyone there, always makes the beginning of the day very special. I have volunteered for Hope Village for a few years now, hoping that in some small way, I can help keep that feeling alive.” — Ceil Gallucci
Fran DiTrango — Grateful for Survivorship
“I have been working in Hope Village for the past 3 years, before that, I was a team captain. Being at the coffee station, allows me the opportunity to talk to everyone that passes through. The fewer the strands of beads, the more they want to talk. Seeing all the survivors of ALL AGES allows me to be grateful for my 15 years of survivorship. Besides that, it’s my day to pay it forward.”
— Fran DiTrango
Michelle Cash — Empowered to Make a Difference
“The first time I walked into the survivor tent 19 years ago as a young mom, I was still in treatment, and still in shock. I didn’t want to walk in, to claim my place as a survivor — I saw myself as a victim. What I found in the tent was a community of people just like me, with the same fears and concerns, but who were helping each other to cope, and taking charge by raising money to defeat this disease. I walked away that day with some important information and some new friends, but most of all empowered to use what had happened to me to make a difference. Working for Komen New Jersey is a dream come true for me, and being in Hope Village, working with the amazing volunteers, to be there for every New Jersey survivor who comes in, is a great privilege.”
— Michelle Cash
Join Janet, Audrey, Ceil, Fran and Michelle and the thousands who will show up on Sunday, October 4, 2020, ready to take action against breast cancer. Visit the Hope Village on Walk day if you’re a survivor or living with metastatic breast cancer! Sign up and start fundraising today for the Komen New Jersey MORE THAN PINK Walk at Six Flags Great Adventure here.
