Skaters Raise $5,000 for Breast Cancer

Skaters got in line Sunday to fight the disease that has claimed the lives of their loved ones.

The second Skate for a Cure, held at Balboa Park, raised more than $5,000, said Don’Juan Gross, president of SkateLa.com, an organization that raises funds for breast cancer awareness. Like Gross, most of the 100 participants who took to the 5-mile course on in-line skates, had family members who suffer from or have died from breast cancer.

“After my grandmother, the one who named me, died from breast cancer, I wanted to do something charitable to raise awareness about it,” Gross said. “After I saw how many people were into skating, and I knew how many people were affected by breast cancer, I wanted to bring them together.”

Experienced and novice skaters alike rolled along the trail. Mark Davis, a Van Nuys resident who usually jogs the path, said he saw the skaters gathered and decided to join them because he believed in the cause.

Janet Kim of Downey and Bo Wono of Arcadia, skate partners who usually cruise the Santa Monica Pier, recruited their co-workers at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care in Pasadena to participate in the fund-raiser.

“They didn’t come, but they sent money,” Kim said. “They didn’t get the workout, but their money is good.”

The marriage of charity and skating attracted Robyn Foster. She worked at a skate rink in Glendale until about a year ago.

“I had been searching the Internet, looking for a foundation linked to breast cancer,” said Foster, whose mother is undergoing chemotherapy. “I didn’t want to find a walk, and have been skating since I was 5. So I knew I wanted to come out.”

The event has grown since its first year, when 12 skaters participated, said Gross. Proceeds will go to Los Angeles Breast Cancer Alliance.