By Mary Ellen Zangara Special Writer
On Oct. 6 and 7, Manville resident Melissa Reilley will be taking part in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in New York City. The non-competitive walk raises money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer.
Ms. Reilley is a kindergarten teacher at Christ the King School and a 1997 graduate of Immaculata High School. She will be walking again with a good friend Sandy Livak.
”This is the third Avon Walk for Breast Cancer that I am doing. My friend Sandy and I graduated from Immaculata together and this is the third walk that we are doing together. We both kind of decided to do it because we both have friends and family that have been affected by breast cancer and we just wanted to and feel it was a good to be active and bring about awareness about breast cancer and this event,” said Ms. Reilley.
This is one of the eight walks held throughout the country all during the year. The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer offers the participants a distance option of either a marathon of 26.2 miles total or a marathon plus a half marathon of 39.3 miles over the two day event.
Ms. Reilley will be doing the 39.3 miles in the two days. With over 3,500 participants, she and Ms. Livak will walk through Brooklyn Heights, Manhattan, Central Park, along the Hudson River and East Rivers.
The trek begins at 7 a.m. Oct. 6 and the pair will walk until about 5 p.m., doing 26 miles the first day. They will then camp out in Englewood and come back into New York and finish the walk on Sunday for the last 13 miles which will take about four hours.
The participants do not need to bring much as they are pampered according to Ms. Reilley.
”Actually we are quite pampered. They carry everything for us in a truck to the camping place. You can get a massage, catered dinners and lunches. Throughout the walk about every two miles, there are rest stops they have porta-potties, snacks and first aid. We carry water that’s about it.”
Training for this wasn’t hard as Ms. Reilley has been walking since last year’s event.
”Since we did the last walk last year, we walk almost every day and now as it gets closer, we some longer walks 12 miles, 15 miles. We walk at least three or four miles a day and usually on the weekends it takes a good three or four hours to do the 12 or 15miles.”
Her kindergarten class has a mascot teddy bear that will take the walk again this year. “Last year during the walks he did the whole walk with me and we took pictures throughout the city. It was a nice way for the children to see New York. I took pictures with the fireman and police officers and the children really enjoyed learning that way. I had him strapped in front of my backpack. He is going to make the journey again.”
Ms. Reilley had to raise the funds to participant in the walk with the minimum being $1,800.
”This year I raised my goal to $2,300 and so far I’m at almost $3,000. I reached my goal and I’m going to keep going to see how much I can do. I would like to thank the residents of Manville. We held a yard sale over the weekend and the support was just tremendous. As soon as people learned it was for breast cancer, there were just donations coming in from everywhere. The families here at Christ the King have been very generous. The donations online and checks it is helping me spread the word,” she said.
One of her donations came from the Chester House in town. Owner Tommy Trojanowski has helped Ms. Reilley for the past few years. “His efforts and personal donations have reached more than $600,” she said.
There is still time to donate to Ms. Reilley for the walk go to www.avonwalk.org and click on “Donate,” select “support a participant” and type Melissa Reilley in the search. A link willcome up below her name. To donate by check which can be done until Oct. 5 e-mail her at [email protected]