The brown planks of the Santa Monica Pier were covered in splashes of pink this weekend, as visitors from across the area walked to raise awareness of the fight against breast cancer.
In a Saturday morning featuring music performances and a robust mini-festival setup on the Pier, breast cancer thrivers, survivors and allies came together for the American Cancer Society (ACS)’s "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" walk. The path took walkers past the Pier and along Ocean Avenue through Palisades Park, as the streets were adorned by pink costumes from adults, children and pets.
The affair was hosted by KTLA 5’s Sandra Mitchell, a breast cancer survivor in her own right, and had musical performances from STORYBOARDS, Trish Melton and Meagan Sky. Several sponsors had booth setups during the morning, including Worthe Real Estate Group, Santa Monica Place and Southern California Chevrolet Dealers.
A fundraising goal of $200,000 was set by the ACS prior to the walk, and the fundraising total as of Oct. 30 was $229,039, beating out the goal. Top fundraising "teams" during the lead-up to the event were Jimmie and Laura’s Angels (donating $33,534), #TeamAriana (donating $13,187), Worthe It To Thrive (donating $11,994) and Team MammoGraham (donating $11,130). Team MammoGraham was a tribute team to leader Susie Graham, who passed away shortly after the 2022 walk. The ACS made their own "tribute garden" at the Pier during the morning to honor Graham and other victims of cancer.
