Last Friday night, a group of my friends and family participated in the annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life. We walked the track from 7 p.m. – 1 a.m. in memory of my aunt Jill, and in honor of so many others who have fought cancer. I’m so proud of my team, The Dukes – we raised over $2,500 this year! Being 8 months pregnant, I didn’t walk as far as normal, but I still managed to get about 14,000 steps and keep that baby in! Here are a few highlights of the evening.
Tag: American Cancer Society
Relay For Life 2016
Saturday night was my 7th American Cancer Society Relay For Life event. I love Relay for so many reasons – from the cause, to the camaraderie, to the symbolism. A few of this year’s highlights:
- I had the biggest team to date, with 30 people representing Team Dukes.
- Our team raised over $3,000 – approximately $27,000 over the last six years!
- I’m proud to say we had a breast cancer survivor on our team this year!
- My husband made a couple of awesome light-up signs for our team – one we carried around as we walked the track for eight hours.
- Thanks in part to all of the above, our team won the Spirit of Relay award!
- My thoughtful team gave me a framed, signed print and a pedicure thanking me for being team captain (even though I couldn’t do it without them).
- My 2-year-old stayed up until 1 a.m., playing hard around the track, in the long jump sand pit, and in the bounce house. She was a crazy, fun, hot mess!

Bring Your Dog to Work Day
Yesterday my office hosted its annual Bring Your Dog to Work Day in support of the American Cancer Society Bark For Life event. The day began with a doggie meet-and-greet, and the dogs hung out around the office throughout the day. We wrapped up the afternoon with an ice cream social, complete with ice cream doggie treats! I didn’t have a pup to bring to the event, but I did get to doggie-sit while one coworker was on a call. It definitely made for a lively day at the office!
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer | Portraits of Hope
Most every year I volunteer to take photos for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Kansas City. This is the second year I’ve had the honor of taking photos of the Kansas City Portraits of Hope – breast cancer survivors who share their stories and inspire others. Here are just a few of my favorite shots of these incredible individuals.
Fighting Cancer One Step at a Time
Friday night was my team’s fifth annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life event. I walk the track and fundraise in memory of my aunt Jill and in honor of many other friends and family. This year was a bit different – juggling team captain responsibilities and taking care of a four-month old was a challenge at times. And I didn’t get to take nearly as many pictures as I would have liked. This year we packed up around midnight rather than walking until 6 a.m. But our strong and mighty team has still raised over $3,000, and we aren’t finished yet! There’s still time to donate to the cause.
Check out photos from 2013, 2012, and 2011.





Photo Essay | Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
I posted a photo of the Kansas City Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on Monday. Now that I’ve edited the other 300, I wanted to share a few more to give you a sense of this fabulous event. Kansas City raised over $400,000 for the American Cancer Society this year!








Photo of the Day: Making Strides in Kansas City
Saturday was the 5th annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in Kansas City. This local American Cancer Society walk has grown from about 2,000 walkers 5 years ago to over 15,000 walkers and $400,000 raised this year! I was excited to be one of the official photographers again this year; more photos to come after I finish editing them.