Making Strides DC 2026: Walking for Hope, Fighting for a Cure, and Honoring My Mother

A morning of community, courage, remembrance, and purpose.

Supporting Kelly Dinkins, celebrating four years of survivorship, and keeping the fight against breast cancer moving forward.

On October 17, 2026, Corri Mitchell, founder of Spirit Fed, joined Team KK in Washington, D.C., for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. The day was about coming together to support Kelly Dinkins, a four-year breast cancer survivor, while raising awareness, celebrating survivorship, and honoring the memory of Corri’s mother, Candace, who passed away from breast cancer.

Making Strides is more than a walk. It is a movement built on hope, strength, remembrance, and the power of community. For some, it is a celebration of survival. For others, it is a way to stand beside someone they love or remember someone whose life was touched by breast cancer. And for many, it is all of these things at once.

For many, Making Strides is an annual event. For others, it is deeply personal. It is a chance to stand beside survivors, support those currently facing breast cancer, remember loved ones, and help build a future where fewer families experience the pain of this disease.

What Is Making Strides Against Breast Cancer?

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a community-driven movement organized by the American Cancer Society to raise awareness and support the fight against breast cancer. Walks bring together individuals, families, teams, businesses, and community organizations united by a shared commitment to making a difference.

Beyond the pink shirts, ribbons, and gathering of supporters, the mission is about people. It is about the survivors whose strength inspires others, the patients navigating treatment, the caregivers who stand beside their loved ones, and the families who continue to feel the impact of breast cancer long after a diagnosis.

Through fundraising, education, advocacy, and community support, Making Strides helps advance the American Cancer Society’s work in breast cancer research, patient support, and efforts to improve outcomes.

Every participant has a reason for showing up. Every story matters. And every step represents a commitment to keep moving forward.

Walking With Team KK

Participating alongside Team KK was an opportunity to stand with others who share a commitment to the fight against breast cancer.

Coming together for a cause like this reminds us that we do not have to face life’s hardest experiences alone. Community creates space for encouragement, connection, and a shared determination to support those affected by this disease.

Making Strides gives people an opportunity to turn concern into action. Whether walking in honor of a loved one, celebrating survival, supporting a friend, or advocating for greater awareness, each person contributes to a collective mission.

The impact extends beyond the walk itself. It continues through conversations about breast health, encouragement to seek appropriate medical care, support for patients and families, and ongoing efforts to improve access to resources.

Walking in Memory of My Mother, Candace

For me, this walk carried a meaning that goes beyond awareness.

My mother, Candace, passed away from breast cancer in June of 2023. Her loss is a deeply personal reminder of why this cause matters and why the fight against breast cancer must continue.

When breast cancer touches your own family, it is no longer just a statistic or a headline. It becomes part of your story. You understand that behind every diagnosis is a person with a life, a family, and people who love them.

Walking in my mother’s memory was a way to honor her life while supporting a cause that affects so many families. Although I cannot have her here beside me, I can continue to carry her memory forward through the things I choose to support and the ways I show up for others.

A mother’s love leaves an imprint that time cannot erase. My mother will always be a part of my story, and her memory will always be close to my heart.

I walk in her memory, for those still fighting, for the families who have experienced loss, and for a future where fewer mothers, daughters, sisters, and loved ones are lost to breast cancer.

This is what makes Making Strides so meaningful. It gives us a way to come together, honor those we love, support those still fighting, and keep hope moving forward.

Why Awareness and Support Matter

Breast cancer affects individuals and families in different ways, but no one should have to navigate the journey without support.

Awareness encourages important conversations about breast health and appropriate screening.

Research helps advance the understanding and treatment of breast cancer. Patient support services can help individuals and families access information and assistance during an incredibly challenging time.

Making Strides brings these needs into focus by connecting communities to a mission that continues throughout the year.

The work does not end when the walk is over or when Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close. It continues every time we share reliable information, encourage someone to speak with a healthcare professional, support a family navigating treatment, or contribute to efforts that help advance the cause.

The Spirit Fed Message: Turning Love Into Purpose

At Spirit Fed, meaningful action begins with purpose, connection, and the belief that the things we care about should be reflected in how we show up in the world.

Participating in Making Strides with Team KK brought those values together in a meaningful way. It was an opportunity to support a cause larger than ourselves while keeping the memory of a loved one close.

We may not all share the same experience with breast cancer, but we can choose compassion. We can listen to one another’s stories, support the people around us, and contribute to a community that refuses to let those affected feel forgotten or alone.

Sometimes, making a difference begins with something as simple as showing up and taking one step forward.

Continuing to Make Strides

The October 17, 2026, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Washington, D.C., serves as a reminder that hope grows when people come together with a shared purpose.

To Team KK and everyone who supports the fight against breast cancer, thank you for being part of a mission that touches so many lives. To the survivors, those currently fighting, caregivers, and families who carry the memories of loved ones, your stories matter.

And to my mother, Candace: you are forever loved, forever missed, and forever a part of my why.

Breast cancer has taken too much from too many families. By continuing to raise awareness, support research, encourage early detection, and stand beside those affected, we can help move the mission forward.

We walk for the fighters. We walk for the survivors. We walk for the families. We walk for the mothers we miss. And we keep making strides toward a future with more hope and fewer lives lost to breast cancer.

One step. One community. One mission. Together, we keep making strides.