Hilton teachers set for 60 mile walk

Katie Paxton and Mike Johnson, two Hilton teachers and an engaged couple, have only three months until their big day.

However, the couple is actually focused on the big steps they’ll have to make a month before their wedding. They are both participating in the Avon Breast Cancer Three-Day Walk from Fitchburg, Massachusetts to Boston, May 17-19. More than 3,000 walkers are expected to participate in the 20-mile-per-day walkathon.

The walkers will walk about 72 hours and stay in tent cities, which follow them along the way. The couple plans to raise $3,800 for the cause.Paxton said she and her fiancé are excited about their undertaking and realize that it was an opportunity that they had to take advantage of.

"It is something we thought if we don’t do it now we’ll never do it," said Paxton, explaining that preparing for the walkathon has been time consuming. Both Paxton and Johnson run in a lot of 5k benefit road races, but have never participated in something of this magnitude.

Paxton, who has been teaching at the Quest Elementary School for four years, said the cause hit home as her mother had a breast cancer scare a few years ago. After some tests her mother was found to be cancer free.

Not all women are as lucky, however. It is estimated that one in eight women will contract breast cancer. Eighty percent of that population will not have a genetic predisposition to cancer.

The Crusade’s web site (www.bethepeople.com) reports the goal of the fundraising is to improve access to potential cures.

"The goal of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade is to benefit all women with a special emphasis on reaching the medically under-served, including low-income, elderly, and minority women and those without adequate insurance."

Paxton and Johnson are roughly halfway toward their goal. The couple decided to donate $400 of their own money to the cause in place of purchasing favors for their wedding.

They’ve also both been getting the support of the Hilton school community. Paxton published something on the walk in Quest’s newsletter and has received support from some of the school’s family. Johnson, who teaches at the high school, has been sponsored by some of his students.

Note: Donations may be made online at the Crusade’s web site or by contacting Katie Paxton, 85 Shepard St., Rochester, NY 14620 at 271-0745, or at Quest Elementary School at 392-1000 ext. 6158.