Walking in the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day in 2001, Paul Boulanger and his wife at the time, a breast cancer survivor, were taken aback by the dearth of male participants. Of the 3,000-plus walkers, fewer than 90 were men. Paul decided that this under-representation of his gender was simply unacceptable–and Men With Heart was born.

The first Men With Heart team was fielded in 2002. Thirty-seven men took part in the Avon 3-Day, a 60-mile trek from Fitchburg to Boston, raising over $135,000 for breast cancer research and treatment. (For a full account of the Boston 2002 3-day walk, written by MWH teammate Jack Burlingame, click here.)

In the 2003 Avon Walk, a two-day, 40-mile affair, we again fielded a team, and our 21 members raised more than $80,000. (To view a slideshow with music created by teammate Adam Vicinus, click here. To watch a Channel 4 news report on the Avon Walk — starring MWH teammate Bob Sutton — click here.)

In ‘04, we expanded our efforts to include both the Avon 2-Day and the Komen 3-Day walks, as well as the “Run With Heart” 5K road race, a fund-raising event at the Black Rose pub in Boston, and other activities. (To view a photo album of the 2004 Avon walk, compiled by MWH teammate Scott Walters, click here. To read Jack Burlingame’s photo essay to his supporters, click here. To read some of the fan mail we received after the Avon walk, click here. To view a photo album of the 2004 Komen walk, compiled by MWH teammate Paul Boulanger, click here.)

We have participated in both the Avon and Komen walks every year since. In 2007, we also fielded our first “crew” at the Avon Walk. We created a MWH-themed rest stop on each day and staffed it with our yellow-clad volunteers.

Also in 2007, we sponsored the 1st annual Jenny Birch/Susan Cotter Memorial  Regatta to Fight Breast Cancer, a two-day event that netted over $30,000 for the battle against breast cancer. Visit www.bcregatta.org for more information on this annual event. 

All told, we’ve generated more than $800,000 for the cause since 2001!

In each walk, we attempt to provide enthusiasm and camaraderie to the proceedings. Between our frequent group sing-a-longs, boisterous receiving lines, candy and supply distribution, and the support and positive energy we provide, we hope to lift spirits and make the experience even more positive and memorable.