The Sod Trotters at the 2009 N.C. Triangle Komen Race for the Cure
On Saturday, a team of more than 40 employees, friends and family of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services took part in the largest road race in the state, the Komen N.C. Triangle Race for the Cure, at Meredith College to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research. The NCDA&CS’ team is named The Sod Trotters, a playful take-off of the late Ag Commissioner Jim Graham’s nickname, the Sod Father.
Some team members raced in the early morning competitive race, a majority took a leisurely stroll among the 22,000 participants in the recreation run/walk, but almost all participated because they know someone who has been affected by this disease. According to the Komen organization, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. On the first floor of the Agriculture Building, where the Public Affairs Division resides, that statistic has proven itself true.
This is the fifth year that the department’s team participated in the race, and the team raised more than $11,000 for the local Komen affiliate in the last three years. This year alone, the team raised more than $3,000, including $687 that was raised last Friday in a bake sale held in the department’s lobby.