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Over 5,000 join Pink Walkathon

DUBAI — BurJuman’s Pink Walkathon which attracted over 5,000 men, women and children of all ages and nationalities kicked off to the beats of Dubai Drums early yesterday morning.

Organised for the fourth consecutive year, the 3.6km charity walkathon was aimed at raising funds and spreading awareness for the fight against breast cancer. Each participant pledged Dh50 to walk the stretch starting from BurJuman, going around major areas of Bur Dubai and ending at the mall with a sumptuous jazz breakfast.

At 8am, thousands of pink balloons were released to mark the start of the walk. People of all ages and backgrounds donning matching Safe & Sound T-shirts and caps were joined by sponsors, BurJuman officials and breast cancer survivors in the walk.

The Dubai Drums motivated the walkers from the start with a lively and entertaining performance. The musical ensemble provided encouragement to the participants and added to the general merriment of the walk.

After the walk, participants enjoyed a hearty Jazz Breakfast at BurJuman while being entertained by live jazz musicians. Fun and games were provided for all the family, including “pink” face painters, balloon benders, and a free group-drumming session courtesy Dubai Drums.

The charity walkathon each year attracts a large number of expatriates and nationals. But this year the number of UAE national men and women was particularly high, noted the organisers.

An official attributed this to the increasing awareness about breast cancer and the need to extend support to patient care due to the programmes launched in the last one month in the country.

Wafa Ahmed, a UAE national who participated in the walkathon, said, “I am here with my friends to help spread awareness among people and contribute in our own small ways to combat the disease.”

“It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm of so many members of the community this morning,” said Sabina Khandwani, head of PR and Marketing, BurJuman.

“The continued support is encouraging and shows just how seriously people treat the campaign and continue to make it a year-long public education initiative centred on early breast cancer detection.”

This year’s walkathon was sponsored by Barclay’s, Damas, Hewlett Packard, Marina Exotic Home Interiors, Saks Fifth Avenue, and TECOM Investments.

All proceeds from this year’s walkathon, yet to be disclosed, will go towards raising awareness about breast cancer and patient care, organisers said.