‘Men in Pink’ support Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

Jim Leonard of Arlington Heights and Jim Bednar of Prospect Heights are good friends who share a common link: Both lost their mothers to breast cancer.

Bednar was only 6 years old when his mother died, and nearly 40 years later, he still dreams of one day finding a cure for the disease.

That’s why when his pal, Leonard, sent him a letter two years ago seeking donations for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, Bednar did more than contribute. He offered to do the walk with him.

With that, the first all-male team to support the Avon Foundation walk in the Chicago area was created.

Two years later, their “Men in Pink” team has 10 members — mostly from the Northwest suburbs — and they already have collected more than $20,000 in pledges for this year’s walk, which steps off Saturday from Soldier Field.

The team includes Christopher Sprague and Fred Alvarez of Prospect Heights; Brian Guest, Mike Whale, Jeff Bowes and Mick Tinsley of Arlington Heights; Tracy Baldaccini of Lake Zurich; and Mike Goffman of Bristol, Wis.

“When we were walking that first year, we were sort of a novelty,” says Bednar, who was elected in April to the Prospect Heights Elementary District 23 school board. “We wondered why more guys don’t do the walk.

“We decided while we were walking that our goal was to get more guys to walk and get involved in the fight against breast cancer.”

It didn’t take long. Last year, they drew four friends to make the two-day, 39.3-mile trek with them, and together they raised more than $16,000. This year, they ambitiously set their sights on earning $20,000.

Thanks to some local fundraisers, they appear to have surpassed their goal, though money continues to come in.

They point to students at St. Alphonsus Liguori School in Prospect Heights, whose volleyball teams held a “Volley for the Cure” fundraiser in October that raised $1,000, as a key contributor.

Another benefit took place at J.J. Twig’s Pizza & Pub in Lake Zurich, and their largest fundraiser took place last month at Rocky Vander’s in Prospect Heights, where they raised more than $4,000.

“It’s been a community effort,” Bednar says. “We started it and people wanted to help. They’ve been fantastic with their support.”

Eloise Caggiano from the national program for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer says participating in the event can feel empowering to men who may sometimes feel like they stand by and helplessly watch women they love deal with the disease. What’s more, she adds, men get breast cancer, too.

“It’s so important for men to be there and to be able to tell their stories,” says Caggiano, a survivor herself. “Just participating is a way to show their support.”

This will be the ninth year the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer returns to the Chicago area. Last year’s walk raised more than $7.7 million and attracted more than 3,400 participants, including 307 breast cancer survivors.

The walk is a project of the Avon Foundation for Women, whose mission is “advancing access to care and finding a cure.”

Since 1992, foundation members have contributed millions to breast cancer research projects in the Midwest, including at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University, Rush University Medical Center, The University of Illinois at Chicago, Washington University Siteman Comprehensive Cancer Center in St. Louis and Indiana University.

To learn more about Men in Pink, or to make a donation, visit AvonWalk.org and use the search engine to find their team page.