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Flip Flop Friends Look Ahead to 2013

The Mother's Day walk is sponsored by the "Flip Flop Friends": Gina Braz-Rocha, Terri Eagar-Garofano, Cathy Gravel, Jeannie Hallinan and Karen Eagar-Braz, who will walk 60 miles over three days in July 2013 in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day.

They may not have raised enough money to participate in this year's 60-mile walk, so they've just turned into a head start for next year.

In order to be eligible for the walk, the each have to raise $2,300 -- a total of $11,500. The group of five women will host a walk this Mother's Day in order to raise money for next year's 3-Day. Their inspiration is a mutual friend, who is a breast cancer survivor of five years, who is in remission. She wished to remain anonymous.

With a few exceptions, they are mostly related, teachers and mothers themselves.

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For instance, Karen Braz (a paraprofessional in the special education department at PVMHS) is the sister of Terri Eagar-Garafono (an educator at Londonderry Middle School in Londonderry, N.H.), sister-in-law to Gina Braz-Rocha (a teacher at the Carroll School), cousin to Jeannie Hallinan (a girls' basketball coach at PVMHS) and a good friend to Cathy Gravel (a local business owner and involved in many charitable efforts).

According to Braz, Garafono came up with the name Flip Flop Friends from her love of flip flop sandals and her team members just followed suit.

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Walkers, bikers, runners, joggers and roller-skaters are all invited to complete all or a portion of a six-mile bike trail, beginning and ending at  on Johnson Street, going through Russell Street and up into Middleton. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, and the walk begins at 9 a.m., continuing until the last participant crosses the finish line or roughly around noon.

It is a benefit, but unlike others like it, this one won't be timed. It has been in the planning stages since February and is not a race.

A suggested donation is $10 per walker, and $25 per family. Leashed dogs are welcome. Granola bars and water will be provided at the finish line.

"Come to support us and our efforts to raise money to fight against breast cancer," said , who came up with the idea for the walk itself. "If you can't make it, you can donate a check (payable to the Flip Flop Friends) to Jeannie Hallinan, 17 Rainbow Rd., Peabody, MA 01960."

Hallinan and Gravel also teamed together in another cancer-themed fundraiser last fall:

Personally, Gravel thought raising $2,300 in one year per walker for the Komen Foundation was a difficult test, especially since the registration fee covers expenses and food.

Gravel hopes the Komen Foundation may lighten up on its fundraising requirements in the future to let even those who haven't been able to raise the full amount register and participate. She added that many in the community did contribute to emails letters and requests for donations via Facebook.

"Seeing all the involvement that goes into it [the walk], and the number of volunteers there, you can't just write a small check, either; it's a ton of work," Braz said., "From the outside looking in, it's a lot of money. But I hate for people not to do it, because they didn't raise enough money. It's a great three days and definitely pushes us to have a number on it."

The Flip Flop Friends will switch places between helping to direct walkers and to monitor the registration table on Sunday. The PVMHS  and boys' and girls' track teams -- under the direction of Athletic Director Phil Sheridian -- will also help to direct walkers and with registration.

The walk was also held on Mother's Day last year, bringing out 100 guests and raising $12,000 for last year's Susan G. Komen walk. The walk will be similar to last year's, the only difference being there won't be cupcakes, which were baked by Holly Smith, a junior on the PVMHS girls' varsity softball team, and served at the finish line afterwards. The reason, for Braz, is some guests head home quickly afterward to start their Mother's Day and the morning hours may be too early for sweet treats.

Gravel hopes the 100 guests will return to walk again. Braz added she anticipates 150 walkers.

The weather is even expected to be the same -- high 60s, low 70s along a wildlife-filled, peaceful, sunny, paved pathway.

Like last year, guests can wear a variation of pink and white, sporting the Power of Pink theme, although the Power of Pink beads are not available this time.

"On , people are focused on mostly women. It's a nice way to spend an hour or two with a mother, daughter, sister, etc. and to start Mother's Day. And mostly women are affected by breast cancer," Gravel said.

Three people will be able to walk side-by-side and two bikes can ride along the pathway comfortably. Mileage signs will be marked onto the pavement, and guardrails will help walkers to stay on the fairly straight path.

Although the Friends haven't reached their goal this year, fundraising events are still in the works. The team also plans to host a spring fling dinner dance, possibly at the Elks Hall. They also sold fleece scarfs with a breast cancer print to friends and at a high school basketball game.

And despite not officially walking for the Komen Foundation this year, they are planning to still go to the celebration at the end to watch at UMASS Boston on Sunday, July 29 at 4 p.m.

As for the walk Sunday, Braz said: "We hope that when people walk, they will think about survivors of breast cancer, and hope Peabody supports them. It will start off Mother's Day right, because we will reflect on families going through it, stopping our lives for a little while. It's a special day for the pink clan."

Register the day of the walk or email cathyg@gravoc.com to reserve a spot.

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