Richardson employees band together to race, raffle for cure

Photo courtesy of Mary McLennan, Richardson, Texas
Racing for a cure - Employees at Rockwell Collins in Richardson, Texas, participated recently in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Pictured (from left) are: Allonia Taylor-Harry, Mary McLennan, Kay Kelley, Angela Sims, and Daphne Black.

When Kay Kelley moved from Rockwell Collins in White Marsh, Md., to our facility in Richardson, Texas, she was looking for ways to give back to her new community.

A senior account manager in Customer Account Administration, Kelley served as a team captain for the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event when she lived in Maryland, and sought to continue this type of involvement after her move.

"Making Strides wasn't supported here in Dallas, but Race for the Cure was," recalled Kelley. "So, Mary McLennan, Angela Sims, Daphne Black and I met in August and decided we wanted to support this cause."

With about one month to prepare, the women rallied 26 employees, friends, and family members and formed the Richardson facility's first team to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

The 5K event held in mid-October saw our employees raise more than $2,000. And, the money is still coming in. Employee involvement also continued long after the walk ended.

Volunteers created a variety of themed baskets, such as wine, chocolate, tea, jewelry, and health products that they raffled to benefit the Komen organization during "Popcorn Wednesdays" in Richardson.

"This fund-raising project was really enhanced by the traffic of folks who stopped by for the popcorn," said McLennan, who is the on-site nurse in Richardson. "Popcorn Wednesdays" are weekly events in which volunteers pop and serve free popcorn and McLennan offers blood pressure checks for employees.

With the start-up expense for creating the first two baskets contributed by the Rockwell Collins Recreational Facilities Team in Richardson, the raffle ended up contributing $550 to the race proceeds.

"I can say for all of us that we just wanted to make a difference," said Kelley. "We not only wanted to walk in honor of family and friends who have been affected by breast cancer, we wanted to be a small part of the cure for the future. It's our hope that next year we can double the number of walkers and double what we did this year."