Celebration of Life, Ride and Run for Breast Cancer
By Adrienne Skolnik
I am a 30-year breast cancer survivor. At that time, one in eight women had a lifetime risk of getting breast cancer.
During those difficult years, I was living in Naples, Florida. My profession, which I loved, was a commercial real estate broker. My passion was the Founder and President of the Gold Coast Rowing Association where we taught students and adults, ages 12 to 81, to row in sculls. Yes, backwards in those long skinny boats!
When I recovered from my first breast cancer surgery, I didn’t know I was going to need two more surgeries, I wanted to give back to the breast cancer support group, Bosom Buddies, that helped me through those challenging and very difficult years. For breast cancer doesn’t affect just your body, it changes your lifestyle and value systems.
One weekend, my rowers won three medals competing in races. I wore those medals to the next breast cancer support meeting and told my sisters that every time we have surgery, we win a race! Then I raised my arms in triumph, as if an Olympic winner! One of my sisters took a picture of me.
That picture inspired me to organize and become Chairwoman of the first, “Celebration of Life, Row and Run for Breast Cancer.” It was marvelous to celebrate how precious our lives are in this fashion. The city of Naples let us use their beautiful five-mile Venetian Bay to bring canoes, kayaks and sculls for rowing. They also let us use five miles of Golf Shore Blvd. to have our run. It was a day of healing for all cancer survivors.
The picture with the three medals gave me another idea. If we, as breast cancer survivors are winners, then we deserve a medal. I sent the picture of me to a medal manufacturer and told them to put an Olympic torch in my right hand and create the first “Celebration of Life Survivor Medal.” At the event, I gave this medal to all the Breast Cancer survivors. And it was truly, a day of Celebration as we danced down the Boulevard to “We Are Family” and “Celebration!”
When I moved to Tampa, Florida I created this event again to benefit the Moffitt Cancer Center. The University of Tampa let us use their stadium for the run and we rowed with the Tampa Rowing Club on the beautiful Hillsborough River.
I left Florida for a few years because of the hurricanes. I remember trembling during Wilma. Then moved back to north/central Florida which is not affected as much by threatening storms. I discovered the beautiful and charming city of Ocala, Horse Capital of the World, and made my new home here. It is more laid back, informal and I found it to be warm and welcoming. I immediately felt at home.
I volunteer at the Marion Therapeutic Riding Association which teaches children with autism and special needs to ride horses. And also has a special Veterans program to help with PTSD. It is truly a place of healing for me also.
Oddly enough, I am not a rider. However, I’ve loved the beauty and grace of horses my whole life. My home is filled with beautiful pictures and statues of these magnificent mammals. So, I know God has brought me to the right place.
When I recently read that one in eight women still have a lifetime risk of getting breast cancer, I was very concerned that after all these years, the statistics hadn’t changed. I had to bring attention to this and do something about it. I had a dream to create the Celebration of Life event in Ocala.
All the pieces finally came together, and once again I am Chairwoman of the first annual “Celebration of Life, Ride and Run for Breast Cancer” which will take place at the beautiful Florida Horse Park, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, from10 am to 4 pm.
* From 10:00am to 1:00pm. Start out the event with a Bring your own horse Poker Ride or just ride the beautiful 5-mile Forida Greenway Trail
* A Charity Run and Walk for families and Ruck Walk for veterans on another two-mile scenic trail. This is not a race, you run or walk at your own pace.
* Music, food trucks and family activities;
* Prizes and Halloween costume fun.
* Starting at 1:00pm The Featured Equestrian Events in the Main Arena are:
* Welcoming Ceremony and Breast Cancer Survivor Celebration
* World Class Mounted Games competition, The Flying Aces with Jackson Wagner and Friends.
* Sylvia Zerbini’s Grande Liberte breathtaking performance with her magnificent Arabian horses and the Jewell Twins playing their violins.
Poceeds will be donated to Moffitt Cancer Center and UF Health Cancer Institute earmarked for Breast Cancer Research. One in eight women still get breast cancer and this statistic needs to change. And I am going to do something about it with the help of my Co-Chairs and the concerned citizens of Ocala and surrounding areas.
If you wish to be a Sponsor, we have different levels of Sponsorship Opportunities. With your generosity, we can save lives!
See you at the Florida Horse Park, October 31, 2026 from 10am to 4pm.
And let’s Celebrate Life together!
