Proudly Pink: StaffDNA’s Just Beat It Crew Joins the 3-Day Walk for a Cure
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Signals a Time for Action
Each October, a team of employees from StaffDNA® and LiquidAgents® Healthcare comes together for the Susan G. Komen three-day, 60-mile walk to raise money for breast cancer research. This group of committed walkers, from our sister healthcare recruiting and staffing companies, joins the fight to find a cure alongside thousands of other teams across the country. This year, seven StaffDNA employees will participate in the Dallas/Fort Worth walk from October 24 to 26 to support patients, families, and communities affected by breast cancer.
Organizations nationwide participate in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, ranging from private and public companies to research centers, charities, educational institutions, and more. Perhaps none is more recognizable than Susan G. Komen. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation provides resources to help patients understand their treatment and navigate the healthcare system, funds research studies aimed at finding a cure for breast cancer, offers educational programs, and conducts campaigns to raise money for research. The foundation is active in over 50 countries.
The team of walkers at StaffDNA is known as the Just Beat it Crew. Brynne Pinho, a nurse and StaffDNA employee, says she’s seen firsthand what cancer does to patients and their families. This drives her to participate as a medic volunteer for the Just Beat it Crew team each year. “Being part of this event allows me to use my skills to keep participants safe and cared for, but it’s also deeply personal. I want to do more than just care for people in the hospitals/clinics. I want to stand beside them in the fight to raise awareness and bring an end to breast cancer,” says Pinho. “For me, volunteering is about honoring the courage of those who face this disease, giving hope to their families, and contributing to a future where no one has to lose a loved one to breast cancer.”
StaffDNA’s Alaina Spurr, part of the Just Beat it Crew, says she walks for those who can’t. “Every year, someone I know is diagnosed with breast cancer. We shouldn’t live in a world where those words have such a negative outcome. I walk to raise awareness and money for more medical access, early testing, and a cure,” says Spurr. “Walking 60 miles in 3 days is hard, but it’s something I can do, and it will never be as hard as fighting breast cancer.”
The origins of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the pink ribbon
The origins of Breast Cancer Awareness Month date back to 1985, when the American Cancer Society and a pharmaceutical organization collaborated to create a week-long program promoting mammograms for early detection. Later, the week-long program expanded into a month-long initiative to cover more aspects of the disease, including treatment, research, and funding.
In the early 1980s, Charlotte Haley, whose own family was affected by breast cancer, created the first breast cancer ribbon, which was originally a peach color. Making each ribbon by hand at her dining room table, she inspired communities to purchase and wear ribbons as a call to action to demand more research and action to prevent the disease, and to ‘wake up legislators’. In the mid-1980s, Self Magazine and the Estée Lauder Cosmetics Company partnered with Haley to promote the ribbons, suggesting a change to pink. The ribbons began to be distributed nationwide and became the premier symbol for breast cancer awareness.
The impact of Susan G. Komen
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was formed in 1982 and started by Nancy Brinker, Susan’s sister, who made a promise to stop breast cancer from taking more lives. The mission of the foundation is to eradicate breast cancer by advancing research, education, screening and treatment.
The foundation has grown substantially since its inception. With over two thousand employees, multiple events, galas, fundraisers and campaigns annually, the foundation raises millions of dollars each year. In 2025, the foundation awarded over $10 million in new grants to fund research projects at dozens of research and education institutions. The focus has not only been on research for a cure, but in different types of cancer, advancing precision medicine and health inequities.
In 1983, the first Race for the Cure was held in Dallas, Texas, with about 800 participants. Today, Race for the Cure events draw thousands of participants. The largest Race for the Cure event took place in Rome, Italy, with over 150,000 participants. The annual event is marked by a sea of pink-clad runners, walkers, and supporters, all gathered on one day to cover five kilometers and celebrate survivorship and honor those who have been lost.
In addition to the Race for the Cure 5K, the Susan G. Komen Foundation also hosts a longer fundraising walk, known as the 3-Day for the Cure. The three-day, 60-mile journey is typically done by teams who commit to raising funds and walking at least twenty miles a day. A three-day team will raise a minimum of $2,300 for the Foundation.
“Last year, I walked 60 miles with Susan G. Komen to help end breast cancer. This year, I am honored to serve as a medic,” says Kass Salazar, a StaffDNA employee and active RN who is a Just Beat it Crew member. “I am deeply grateful to be a part of an organization like StaffDNA, which brings people together in a community of love, strength, and support.”
Going the distance for a cure
October puts a spotlight on these events, but the work continues year-round. The Susan G. Komen Foundation, with its decades of work, remains one of the most prominent organizations in this fight. No other foundation has rallied such public support and engagement in the fight against breast cancer. Yet the mission remains unfinished. As science advances and inequities persist, organizations like The Susan G. Komen Foundation and companies that show support must prioritize impact.
“October is about much more than wearing pink,” says Jenny Hanlon, CFO of StaffDNA, who sponsors the Just Beat it Crew walkers each year. “It’s a gesture of support but also a symbol for everyone to be reminded that so many people have been impacted by this disease, and the work needs to be ongoing.”
Stephanie Stinchfield, an employee at LiquidAgents Healthcare, says the walk gives her a sense of purpose. “It’s my way of showing up, step by step, for a future without breast cancer.”
Kelsey Moena, another Just Beat it Crew member, says she walks not only for cancer research today, but for a future where breast cancer no longer takes lives. “I am walking in support of breast cancer research, not just for today, but for the hope that my daughter, and every daughter, will grow up in a world where this fight is behind us, not ahead!”
To help raise funds for this year’s Just Beat It Crew, donate here.
Lisa Dawson
PR and Communications