From the waterfront, those walkers completing the marathon-length Saturday route will be guided along State Street and past Cottage Hospital, stopping at Oak Park for lunch, then continue by the Mission and through Montecito and Summerland before retiring at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club for the night, dubbed the “Wellness Village.” Walkers also have the option of going 13.1 miles, or a half-marathon distance.

by Claire Spera
Published: September 11, 2010

Over the course of today and Sunday, more than 3,000 participants for the first Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Santa Barbara will enjoy the city’s scenery as they trek and volunteer along a route nearly 40 miles long between Santa Barbara and Carpinteria.

The event commences at 6:30 a.m. at Chase Palm Park, with an opening ceremony where walkers will have the chance to hear from speakers whose lives have been touched by breast cancer in some fashion, including a cancer survivor and six-time Avon walker, as well as former and current cancer patients’ families and friends.

From the waterfront, those walkers completing the marathon-length Saturday route will be guided along State Street and past Cottage Hospital, stopping at Oak Park for lunch, then continue by the Mission and through Montecito and Summerland before retiring at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club for the night, dubbed the “Wellness Village.” Walkers also have the option of going 13.1 miles, or a half-marathon distance.

Sunday’s half-marathon route will continue through Carpinteria’s neighborhoods before finishing at Carpinteria State Beach along Linden Ave. where Grammy Award-winning singer Fergie will present grants to local beneficiaries at a closing ceremony.

The Santa Barbara Avon Walk is counted among nine that take place this year in cities across the country. Eloise Caggiano, program director for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, said the majority of Santa Barbara’s participants come from the Santa Barbara area and other parts of California; an estimated 400 out-of-state participants from 40 states are also attending.

Since the Avon Walk series’ inception in 2003, Southern California’s walk has been held in the Los Angeles area. Last year’s event was in Beach and raised $4.6 million for cancer research and patient services. Ms. Caggiano said it’s impossible to know exactly how much has been raised by Santa Barbara’s walk participants until they’ve reported to the check-in tents the morning of the opening ceremony, though she’s confident the sum will be “in the millions.”

Walkers are required to raise a minimum of $1,800 to participate in the event, though they typically collect an average of $300 to $400 above that, said Ms. Caggiano. Every walker is assigned an Avon coordinator who helps him or her with email and letter campaigns as well as setting up a web page on which supporters can submit donations.

“From the second you sign up we try to support you whole heartedly from start to finish,” said Ms. Caggiano.

Cuban-born Glendale resident Leonor Gaviña-Valls, 58, is a shining example of those who go above and beyond, in term of fundraising. Cancer-free for 12 years, she participated in her first Avon Walk last year in Long Beach, raising nearly $5,400, and plans to continue fundraising for her participation in Santa Barbara’s walk up until the last moment.

Ms. Gaviña-Valls’ family coffee roaster business, F. Gaviña & Sons Inc., which counts among its brands Don Francisco Coffee, is the official breakfast sponsor of the Avon Walk in Santa Barbara.

“My grandfather started growing coffee beans in the 1870s,” she said. “My father was born on the coffee plantation in Cuba. He started (F. Gaviña & Sons, Inc.) here in the U.S. in 1967….Anything that has to do with cancer, I try to participate and offer our services of Don Francisco’s at the walks.”

Ms. Gaviña-Valls has recruited a cheering team, which includes her 18-year-old son and 20-year-old daughter, to keep her spirits high during the tiring walk. “There’s going to be a college crowd cheering me on,” she said.

She reflected on the fact that she’s lived breast cancer-free since 1998, after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. “It’s a wonderful feeling. My son just graduated from high school and he was in first grade when I was diagnosed.” She ultimately believes “you can change someone’s life by your attitude, especially someone in treatment that hasn’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel.”