Atlanta nonprofit takes strides to help families going through breast cancer

ATLANTA - Breast cancer is a diagnosis that one in eight women could face in their lifetime.

When one Atlanta mother got the diagnosis, her three daughters turned their hardship into a way to help other families going through breast cancer.

For the last six years, Emilie, Lauren, and Samantha Scalise have led hundreds of people on a 2.7-mile walk around Chastain Park.

The event is called Strides for Survivors.

"It's amazing to watch people come together and experience such a great day," Emilie Scalise said.

Each one of those roughly 2,000 steps is to help raise money for other families who are impacted by breast cancer.

Their mom, Stephanie Scalise, was diagnosed in 2015.

"It was very humbling to look at my teenage daughters, at the time they were 15, 13, and 11," she said. "They chose to make a very happy and growing nonprofit for our family and for the community."

The money goes to Turning Point, a breast cancer rehabilitation center in Atlanta.

"To be able to spread the word about Turning Point which is not just rehab when you finish your reconstruction. I go for Pilates classes online. I meet up online now for nutritional meetings, and support groups, and we are just women helping women," Stephanie Scalise said.

The family wants others who are going through the same struggles to know there is help and support after treatments.

"Post-surgery you've got to get your strength back, you've got to get your energy back, and we found a way to show people you can do that with a huge community," Emilie Scalise said.

Each year donations have grown, with more than $50,000 raised for Turning Point.

But it's not only about the money, it's about creating a community.

"So we thought that our situation and how we got through it, we could model it for other families, and we could be a sounding board, we could be that friend to lean on for other families around the Atlanta area, and we're trying to branch out to other areas as well," Emilie Scalise said.

Now after around 32,400 steps with Strides for Survivors, the sisters have moved to different states and different chapters of their lives, but their mission to help others is only growing stronger.

"Now it's a big community of people who are going to be there for each other even though they didn't know they had these resources," Emilie Scalise said.

Strides for Survivors had its biggest turnout yet for their walk this weekend, but the fundraising effort is year-round.

If you want to learn more, go to Strive for Survivors' website.

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