Four Miler raises funds for care, cure

The largest all-women’s race in Virginia raised $230,000 last year for the University of Virginia Cancer Center Breast Care Program. This year organizers have increased the goal to $300,000.

“On Friday morning [the day] before the race, we had raised $130,000. It was so exciting at packet pickup when money was turned in. Hopefully the same thing will happen again this year,” said Cynthia Lorenzoni, co-owner of Ragged Mountain Running Shop. She is the director of the Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler, scheduled for Aug. 30.

The amount raised so far, with four weeks to go, is just more than $113,000. She said much of it usually comes from the participants themselves who raised money through personal sponsorships, and usually turn it in on the day before the race when they pick up their race packets.

“If everybody asks 10 people for $5, we can raise a lot of money,” Lorenzoni said. “We feel like we have to have goals. This is such a great cause.”

All the money goes into patient support services in the Breast Care Program. One of those services is the mobile mammography unit, which travels to rural areas in Virginia and provides mammograms to women who might not otherwise get them.

The race organizers have set up team captains. Teams are a way to help make the fundraising fun, and there are prizes for the top fund-raisers. For example, Ragged Mountain has a team and a goal of $25,000.

There is also the motivational mile — a mile of the race in which 250 large brightly colored posters are hung with the names of survivors or those who have died. This is another way to support the fundraising efforts.

Those interested can make donations online by going to http://www.dominion digital.com/womens4miler/.