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Page 208

The “3-Day” Walks

At the beginning of this chapter, we talked about the annual Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s 3-Day, sixty-mile walks to raise funds for breast cancer—and the initiation of individual participants into a community that shares their goals, drive, and (quite often) life experiences. Consider the nature of the 3-day walks in light of what you’ve learned in this chapter.

  • It may seem unbelievable that thousands of men and women—most of whom will not speak to each other in the process of the walk—could be considered a group. And yet they develop a shared identity (fighters, survivors, supporters), share common goals (to raise money in an effort to rid the world of the scourge of breast cancer), and develop interdependent relationships (supporting each other’s fund-raising and training efforts).
  • Participants in the 3-day walks fall into several group types. They are certainly examples of a support group: participants share and work through similar struggles and life experiences. In addition, 3-day walk groups can be considered problem-solving groups (because they attempt to raise money for a cure) and even primary groups (many walkers go on to develop committed friendships with each other).
  • As noted, Susan G. Komen for the Cure requires that each participant raise at least $2,300 and commit to training for the walk. While there are opportunities for group training and fund-raising, each individual member of the group is still held personally accountable for his or her efforts. This makes social loafing—common in large groups—much more difficult.