Record Crowd, Contributions Support Komen North Texas Race Hosted by EDS
26 Jun 2006
Pink T-shirts like the one that breast cancer survivor Pam Davis was wearing stood out from the crowd during the 2006 Komen North Texas Race for the Cure®, which attracted record attendance at the EDS Headquarters campus in Plano, Texas, and raised the most money in the event's 16-year history.
Davis was among more than 600 survivors at the June 3 race, with EDS and The Shops at Legacy as local presenting sponsors. A total of 12,312 runners and walkers brought in almost $750,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
“I am also surprised to see so many survivors are out here – especially when you notice the younger women with their pink T-shirts,” said Davis, a five-year cancer survivor who works in EDS Relocation & Assignment Services.
Those who beat the disease are honored annually at the race, which also commemorates the lives of those who lost their battles.
“It was amazing to see that many people together and it was especially interesting to see cancer survivors with the energy and emotion to participate,” said Luis Ruben Zapien, who traveled from an EDS facility in Mexico to enter the race and attend classes near the headquarters campus.
Zapien, EDS manager of Mexico Manufacturing at Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico, added that he admires his mother's strength as a cancer survivor.
“I felt proud to be an EDSer in that race,” said Zapien, who won the men's 30-34 age group and finished 17th overall in the 5K at 19 minutes, 58.58 seconds. It was his first such U.S. event.
EDS Team Honored
EDS received recognition for building the largest corporate team and raising the most money. Team co-captains DonaLeigh Engstrom and Julie Watkins accepted the awards.
About 10,600 people ran and walked in the 2005 North Texas Race, raising $540,000 during EDS' first year as a local presenting sponsor. EDS also supports the world's largest series of 5K runs and fitness walks with sponsorship of Komen teams in Boise, Idaho; Detroit; Oklahoma City; Washington, D.C.; and other cities. For a second year, EDSers in Canada will field a national team for an annual Run for the Cure that is not affiliated with the Komen Foundation.
In Washington, more than 50 people joined the EDS Eagles on June 3 for the 17th annual Komen National Race for the Cure. EDS was a $25,000 sponsor for the 17th annual race. EDS' 6th annual Duck Race for the Cure, in which more than 2,500 plastic ducks floated across the pond at the company's eastern regional headquarters, raised more than $21,000.
For the North Texas Race, the top individual fund-raiser was Engstrom, the EDS team co-captain and a three-year cancer survivor. She raised $4,135 in donations for the Komen Foundation.
“We surpassed every goal we set for ourselves this year,” said Engstrom, a project management professional and First Health project manager who also plays trumpet in the EDS Jazz Band.
It was the 12th race for William Dunn, who works in EDS Medicare Systems at Plano, and his 15-year-old daughter Elizabeth. Dunn recalled bringing his daughter, as a 3-year-old, in a stroller for her first race.
Supporting the Cause
Dunn's mother, Loretta, who lives in New York, was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. “We're here for her as well,” he said. “We all need to do this for our families as well as for our friends and co-workers who are affected by this disease.”
Jill Tillery, an alliance manager in Global Alliances and Komen co-organizer at EDS, said some EDS clients were also represented at the race.
“The survivors here have many success stories,” said Tillery, who lost her mother to breast cancer.
Teams distributed welcome cups of water along the 5K course.
“We run it every year, but only wish it was a little bit cooler,” said Kathy Reid of Human Resources Recruiting Systems, accompanied on her fourth Komen Race by her husband, Jack.
“You just passed two miles! Good job! You guys are doing great – keep going!” yelled EDSer Lisa Garner as runners zipped past her on both sides.
Large fans blew a watery mist on runners and walkers as they exited EDS' western gates and turned north to the finish line.
“Everyone's hard work came together to make this happen,” said co-organizer Patty Mendez, an EDS Human Resources manager and cancer survivor. “We've all been touched by this cause in one way or another.”