The Breast Cancer 3-Day, an annual 60-mile walk to raise money and awareness for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, takes place in Seattle from Sept. 11-13. Participants start training 16 to 24 weeks in advance. And each commits to raising $2,300 to help eradicate breast cancer.

Among Redmond teams taking part in the 3-Day is “Cops for the Cure.” Team captain and Redmond Police Commander Shari F. Shovlin noted, “This is the fifth year the team is walking and it is my sixth walk. Commander Kristi Wilson and I walked in 2005 to support our co-worker and friend, Shawn Fitzpatrick.”

Fitzpatrick, a records supervisor at Redmond Police Department (RPD), had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Wilson’s sister battled the disease from the age of 31 until she passed away at 46. Wilson herself became a breast cancer survivor in 2007 and added this to the list of reasons why she walks.

“I have two young daughters and I want them to live in a world where there is a cure for breast cancer. We walk for our future,” Wilson stated.

In addition to Shovlin and Wilson, Cops for the Cure includes Redmond City Councilmember Kim Allen, RPD Community Outreach Facilitator Jim Bove, Traffic Officer Sande English, School Resource Officer (SRO) Paul Edwardsen, Crime Analyst Craig Weirre, Dispatcher Jill Steele, Shovlin’s 16-year-old daughter Haley and her friend Allegra Licata, who are students at Woodinville High School.

You might see members of Cops for the Cure walking in small groups on the Sammamish River Trail. Schedule conflicts make it hard for all to train at the same time, but they encourage and educate one another.

“The worst thing you can do is not know your shoes and get blisters,” Shovlin warned. “Blisters are the demise of a three-day walker so training is a must.”

However, said Wilson, “When you get tired or sore, all you have to do is think about all the survivors walking and all the surgeries and treatments they have endured and in the grand scheme of things, 60 miles is a short journey.”

According to Shovlin, the fundraising aspect is harder.

“It is not easy for everyone to ask people for money, specifically in the difficult economic times,” she admitted. “It is amazing, though, how people always surprise us and come through. Since the first year we walked, we have had regular supporters that give upwards of $500 or $1,000. Redmond citizens like John Enslien and Councilwoman Nancy McCormick have been great supporters. CathKart Open Systems in Woodinville, Bob and Kathy Cartwright, have supported us for years. We could not have done it without their support.”

Cops for the Cure also raises money through “Cop on Top” where they stand on the roof of the QFC store at Bella Botega and “fish for donations.” Shovlin said Redmond residents are extremely generous. On a recent weekend, they contributed $2,100 to Cops for the Cure.

“Most rewarding is to walk as a team of police employees and support each other during the walk and the months prior to,” said Shovlin. “I am truly blessed to work in such a city (where) the employees care about the community and how to give back. You just don’t get that everywhere.”

Meanwhile, walking in The Breast Cancer 3-Day gives citizens a chance to see another side of their local police.

“It lets people know we’re not just police doing police things. We have a sense of community and care,” said Shovlin.

To prove that, RPD also participates in the Law Enforcement Torch Run, fundraises for Special Olympics, Northwest Harvest and MDA and volunteers for Seattle Children’s Hospital and Starlight Starbright Foundation.

“We are paid to protect and serve our community but Redmond Police Department takes that to another level by reaching out and seeing ‘what else we can do.’ I think we all know how good we have it working for Redmond and so it is just natural to want to give back,” said Shovlin.

Bove, whose mother is a two-time survivor of breast cancer, agreed, “You know, we do all of this on our own time — we’re not getting paid, we’re doing it because we care and want to positively influence our community. … And it’s always touching to get special cheers from Redmond residents who are there.”

Wilson said the best part of The Breast Cancer 3-Day is “meeting thousands of new people. … We have developed a following and get cheered on along the route. Each year we pass out bracelets with ‘Cops for the Cure’ and the year on them, to all walkers. They have become collector’s items and we frequently see walkers carrying all the previous years’ bracelets on their packs. You meet people from all over Washington who have come together for a common goal.”

As the SRO at Redmond High School, Edwardsen has reached out to teens and let them know that breast cancer doesn’t happen only to older folks. He’s told students about his niece Rachel who was diagnosed at the age of 27, while she was pregnant. After her son was safely delivered, she “began the ardurous journey every breast cancer victim endures to save her life — chemotherapy, radiation therapy and the ultimate insult of a mastectomy,” said Edwardsen. “After many family prayers and blessings, Rachel survived and is cancer free … a miracle.”

But not all breast cancer patients are as lucky.

“Breast cancer WILL affect someone close to you with one in eight women contracting this insidious killer. Let’s make it stop,” Edwardsen urged.

To support Cops for the Cure, visit www.the3day.org, click on Donate, search for a team and enter Cops for the Cure.