Walking for Generations to Come
“I’m now walking for my daughter and her generation” were the words of several members of the Herman Miller team who participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Grand Rapids, Michigan in September.
A team of 24 employees, family members, and supporters walked and ran this event, raising around $8,000 (including a donation from Herman Miller) for breast cancer research and treatment for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world’s largest and most progressive grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists.
Herman Miller has been a staunch supporter of these community-based events, and we are fortunate to work for a company that values employees who donate their time, talents, and treasures to worthy causes.
Many people participated as a way to celebrate our blessings and remember how fortunate we are. Some participated so that no one else’s mother, sister, aunt, colleague, or friend would have to endure the diagnosis of breast cancer without the hope of a cure. And others walked in honor of a survivor or in memory of a loved one who has succumbed to this disease.
One of the team members felt fortunate to be a direct recipient of the incredible advances made in breast cancer research. “I am particularly grateful this year to those who have made donations because I am in a clinical trial for a new breast cancer drug,” she said. “I know a portion of the funds raised at these events is dedicated to research, so I feel like I am now directly benefiting from that research. My thanks to everyone who participated and donated. I really appreciate it.”
I’m a Herman Miller employee whose wife was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer in May of this year. Lindy is just 32 years old and a mother of three young children. We spent the summer fighting through chemo; a battle itself that is indescribable.
In the middle of the treatments, several Herman Miller employees banded together and organized a picnic in the park for my family. All the food and entertainment for the kids was provided and we were able to spend a night outside the confines of the house. Fresh air and a lively park really lifted our spirits. It’s a memory we’ll cherish always.
Amid the hardest fight of our lives the Herman Miller family showed us love and compassion. I am honored to be a part of something so special.