The Hottie Nation!

[linda...@gmail.com]

2,000 Walkers & 400 Crew Members Raised $4,729,000.00

7 dozen pink, lavender and green dee-lee-bobbers
7 dozen blinky rings, pins, buttons, hottie flags and laminated
cadences
70 hottie walkers and 12 hottie crew have raised $213,868.00 and
counting!

Oh hotties, my hotties,
I am so proud of our hottie walkers and hottie friends, so
appreciative of our hottie crew and so thankful to our many hottie
helpers and hottie walker stalkers. We were everywhere this weekend:
walking, stalking, volunteering, cheering & crewing! Our hottie
community (read: family) is quite the mutual admiration society. Barry
had it right: We are the Hottie Nation!

We shared 3 Days of:
The massive hottie herd with huge heart in our hottie headgear.
Hotfooted hotties hoofin' it & hurtin' hotties & hotties hangin'
tough.
Old hotties, new hotties, hottie friends & adding honorary hotties
along the way.
Hottie grief, tears, catharsis & healing.
Hotties hydrating & hotties in the port-a-potties
Hottie highs & hottie lows & hottie hoorays & spreading our hottie
spirit.
Hottie hilarious high jinx, silly humor & guffawing in hysterics.
Hotties holding banners, hotties eating hot dogs, hotties riding in
the Happy Sweep Van and hotties getting a tan.
Hard-headed hotties & naughty hotties & hottie hook-ups & hottie hanky
panky (?!)
Hottie hugs & hotties holding hands & hottie high fives.
Hotties chanting the cadence with great chutzpah.
Sore hottie tootsies & sore hottie booties.
Hottie Hero Walker Stalkers, family, friends & hottie helpers too.
And hotties hollering wooooohooooo!

Coming off the 3 Day is like having been at a rock concert, amusement
park and kid's birthday all in one. My ears are still ringing and my
throat is sore from yelling the cadence. I drove down to Crissy Field
this morning to have my coffee and let the whole 3 Day journey sink in
(nope, I didn't walk there!) It is grey and foggy here in the City
today and it is hard to believe how spectacular the weather was this
past weekend. It set the stage for a truly wonderful weekend and it
showed our beloved Crissy Field off at its finest.

It did not matter if you were first, the caboose or somewhere in the
middle of the pack of 2,000 walkers. We were a moving monument to our
heartfelt belief that we will end breast cancer (and all cancers) as a
life threatening disease.

You are a now a part of the long legacy of this team. A legacy of
kindness and compassion and spirit. A legacy of leaving the world a
better place than we found it. Our legacy is also in cold hard cash.
This year alone the team will raise over $400,000 participating in
four events. Collectively we have raised $2,086,203.42 since our first
walk as a team in 2003. Simply Amazing. All from individual donations
from friends and family, co-workers and from places we do business. We
know the money we worked so hard to raise will be put to work helping
people get access to care. We know the money we worked so hard to
raise will go to doctors engaged in critical research. We know the
money we worked so hard to raise will help prevent and help detect
breast cancer early. That is the legacy for which I am most proud and
hope you are as well.

Every training walk season and every event is different and this year
was magical. It has been a remarkable year and I will cherish the
experience of walking with you, hearing your stories, making new
friends and creating our deep team bond. Each of us is on a personal
journey although collectively we forge the pathway toward a world
without breast cancer In Our Lifetime.

Each of you has changed the landscape of my heart forever, thank you.
Remember, once a hottie, always a hottie! Hottie hugs and go enjoy
your long winter hibernation. Rest, recover and rejuvenate, dear
friends. Until we meet again, walk on! Linda

To our hottie survivors: You are inspiration personified. We can’t
begin to express the responsibility and honor we feel walking by your
side. You give us hope that the work we are doing will enable many
more women and men detect their cancer early, get access to great care
and less barbaric treatments. It is beautiful to witness you live your
lives OUT LOUD.

To the Walking Wounded: Dear walkers, take time to heal your body. You
have done wondrous work even though you didn't walk perhaps as much as
you wanted. You were there, you were seen and you have made a
difference. Your contribution is not measured in steps but in simply
having taken part. Despite what you may be telling yourself, your
hottie teammates, are proud of you!

To our hottie crew: 4 Sweep Vans, Pit 5 Crew and Medical
Transport..... YOU ARE AMAZING! Thank you for 3 Days of hard work and
caring of the walkers. *Special Thank you to Meg for buying pizza and
champagne for us at the Holding Area! What a treat.*

To those of you still working toward your minimum:
Send an email to EVERYONE you know and tell them about your weekend
and that you have 30 days to raise the remaining funds.
Ask 2 or 3 family members or friends to pass your email/letter to 20
names in their address book.
Be open and unapologetic about your fundraising goal. Speak from your
heart about why participating in the event was so meaningful.

To My Hottie “Assistant Managers”: Andrea, Marcia, Meg, Charisse and
Sandy; thank you and know you have my deep respect and admiration. It
does take a village for the “care and feeding” of a team this big.
Phenomenal training walks, arranging clinics, craft days, making 3,000
flower pins, walker stalking, planning, paperwork/printing, hundreds
of emails, document development, team shirts, hottie swag, our BUST it
out! fundraiser and the formation of In Our Lifetime could not have
happened without your contribution of time, energy, love and
dedication to this team.

Share Your Training & Event Photos for the Hottie Archive - Flickr
Group: http://flickr.com/groups/warminghuthotties/

Register for the 3 Day next year! It’s only 396 days until next year’s
3 Day and the SF 3 Day team is up! http://www.the3day.org/goto/thewarminghuthotties
Not sure the cut off date, but right now the registration fee is $55
(usually $90) with the promo code: legacy. If you are interested in
crewing next year, register and then let me know. I will try to work
with Nathaniel to get a Hottie Pit Stop if there is interest.

Reunion Party: I’ll send an Evite out soon with details. It will
probably be in a month or so. Think potluck like the Walk-luck picnic.

Race for the Cure: Some hotties will be heading out for this walk
Sunday, Sept 21st. Register here for the Komen SF Race for the Cure.
$30 registration fee/no fundraising minimum. Online registration fees
increase September 11 and Online registration closes September 14. You
can also register in person on Sept 20th at both SF Sports Basement
locations or the morning of race day as well.

Stay in Touch - Join the Warming Hut Hotties Gmail Group! I'll post
here about training walks and other events. You can connect with
walkers and crew here, talk about other events, and just stay in
touch. http://groups.google.com/group/sfwarminghuthotties2009

The Hottie Zazzle Store Has Postage Stamps for Your Thank You Notes:
http://www.zazzle.com/hotties_postage_stamp-172440951405935960

Training Walks: I may start an off-season “once a month easy (under 8
miles) Saturday/Sunday walk” if there is interest. Our real training
season won’t begin again until late April, 2009. Check
http://www.warminghuthotties.com/Training_Walk_Schedule.php for
updates.

San Diego Walkers/Crew: Please email me so we can try to connect you
all for training walks and for your event!

3 Day Girl - Ice Man Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QqU0h2x6bE


Day 1 Route: www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=244400
Day 2 Route: www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=244383
Day 3 Route: www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=244409

In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that
makes us rich. Henry Ward Beecher