The DOD uses the money to maintain the Breast Cancer Awareness and Solutions Network, a series of computers in military healthcare facilities that serve as education stations for patients and healthcare providers. The information provided is also accessible to the general public. Racing for Cures Races, marathons, and walkathons are common ways of raising money for breast cancer research and other charities. Participants ask family members, friends, coworkers, and companies to sponsor them, either with lump sums of money or a set amount for each mile they walk, run, or inline skate. Events vary in scope and intensity.
Some events are fun, others more arduous.
Samantha Poste, a young woman living in the Boston, Massachusetts area, participated in the Kona Marathon, organized by the American Diabetes Association. Assume that Poste had just one very generous sponsor, who pledged a set amount of money per mile walked. Golf for Women magazine holds a Rally for a Cure golf competition to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. When it began in 1996, members from 356 golf clubs participated. Last year, that number jumped to 2,068 clubs.