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There is a moment just at sunrise Race Day morning when we all catch our breath because we are about to be swept up in the swirling excitement of the Komen Texarkana Race for the CureŽ. Nothing else is like it. The twin cities of Texarkana, Texas and Texarkana, Arkansas come alive at dawn with banners hung and flags flying, with arches of balloons and pathways lined with pink ribbons. A Village of tents and booths is in place as volunteers assemble to meet and greet and get to know thousands more, all wearing the vivid colors of their new Race shirts. It all seems to explode at once: the crowd gathers at the starting line, the horn sounds, and the runners are off! Read the signs people are wearing "In memory of" and "In celebration for" the loved ones we all come to honor. Watch for the drill team, the Girl Scouts, cheerleaders, the Bunco groups, a biker group, a school team, families - your imagination will go into overdrive witnessing the human stories around you. How many human stories? Well, last year we counted 6,132. Then mid-morning, everybody assembles for the ceremony of celebration. Proud and loyal sponsors come forward to take a bow. Year after year they are the benefactors who remind us what community generosity can produce.
Time for the point of it all and the reason for why we are here. Fair warning, though, The Survivors’ Celebration has the power to make strong men cry and strangers hug strangers. Maybe you noticed the pink caps and pink shirts scattered throughout the crowd all morning. Now is the time when they begin to come toward the stage, one by one. They just keep coming, hundreds of survivors. Their message? Whether four days or forty years after a diagnosis of breast cancer, hope is real and strong. Survival is a celebration, but this year it is even more. This time, we all carry in us a new knowledge. We have come to understand that this profound and life-affirming force we call Komen Texarkana Race for the CureŽ is also an affirmation of the power of the human spirit extending throughout the community.
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