Weekend to End Breast Cancer slogan misses the mark

The annual fundraising walk-a-thon called The Weekend to End Breast Cancer is taking place in Toronto this month.

It's been reported that recent events in other cities have drawn a total of 6,445 participants. For every one of them, at least five other Canadians would like to be able to take a few steps in a walk-a-thon.

The slogan for the 2009 event is "Breast Cancer is Hard. Walking Isn't," but only half of that statement is true.

It's apparent that in approving this marketing strategy, organizers have neglected to consider the more than 40,000 Canadians with spinal cord injuries, and tens of thousands more with walking impairment stemming from multiple sclerosis, strokes, arthritis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, amputation, lupus and other conditions. For these people, walking is hard.

In response to the walka thon's advertising slogan, a campaign has been launched to build awareness about disability issues, to encourage organizations and businesses to be more socially responsible in their messaging, and to attract more support for organizations that help people with physical disabilities.

The website at www. walkingishard.com is a volunteer effort that provides at-a-glance listings of organizations, people and events, by community, that are in need of support. With the variety of interesting options, anyone can become a philanthropist or advocate.

There are ways to donate time including virtual volunteering, products to buy such as music and art, links to speakers who can enlighten groups about disability issues, and introductions to local organizations in need of things that might be sitting unused in homes and businesses.

The site also gives food for thought, to answer the question "Why should I care?" and shares a glimpse at the challenges of wheelchair users and those undergoing walking rehabilitation.

In order to provide exposure for alternatives to The Weekend to End Breast Cancer, events and fundraising initiatives for the breast cancer cause are listed in pink. The Walking is Hard campaign slogan is Choose your Cause. Choose your Gift.

The fact that a large scale, multi-city event of this kind has overlooked the insensitivity of their marketing initiative indicates that there's much work to be done in building understanding of disability issues. What's particularly disconcerting is that the slogan "Breast Cancer is Hard. Walking Isn't" has been endorsed by doctors working at some of Canada's most revered health institutions. Sponsors of the event should take notice of how the slogan impacts their image.