For Karen Amlaw, helping her community always came naturally. An accomplished opera singer and the owner of her own music school, she has spent her life sharing the power of music with others.

But this year, after a close friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she found a new way to make an impact: combining her love of performance, her commitment to fitness, and a playful sense of fun to raise funds for Project Purple, all while wearing a turkey suit.

Her story is one of creativity, resilience, and the joyfully unexpected ways people can make a difference in the lives of those impacted by pancreatic cancer. You can learn more about how to participate in similar events on Project Purple’s Virtual Events page.

A Life in Music and Movement

Creativity, connection, and fun have always guided Karen’s life, and she brings that same spirit to her school, Karen Amlaw Music. There, she helps students of all ages explore the joy of music and build confidence through lessons, classes, and performances in piano, violin, voice, and more.

But her passion doesn’t stop at the stage. Karen also embraces physical challenges, finding motivation and purpose in running. What began as daily walks to support her health has grown into a commitment to races and community events.

As a non-medicated diabetic who manages her condition by preparing all of her own snacks and meals, she began prioritizing her health through walking, then gradually trotting, and eventually running. In her younger years, she was primarily a short-distance sprinter in high school, but now she runs at least once a day, sometimes twice, and over the past few years has built the stamina to complete 5Ks and participate in local races.

Her first real race was a personal challenge, mostly to see if she could really do it. Completing the 5K in 33 minutes, she immediately asked herself, “When is the next one?” That spirit carried her through future events, including charity 5Ks for her town of Westborough, Massachusetts, raising money for both the local school district and the fire department.

Her creativity spills into all aspects of her life, whether it’s teaching music, organizing events, or engaging with her community. “It’s not unusual, depending on what time of year it is, that I’m running around in some sort of costume,” she laughs, whether dressing up as a witch for Halloween or as Mrs. Claus for the holidays.

From Friendship to Action

Karen’s connection to Project Purple began in a deeply personal way. Earlier this year, a close friend who has “meant the world” to her singing career and her life in New York City, where she lives part-time, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The news hit hard, shaking her world and her sense of control.

“Back in February, I was standing there going, ‘Why?’ I felt like I couldn’t do anything,” she recalls. She had always been a very positive person, but at that point, everything that had happened had left her feeling paralyzed and helpless: she even stopped singing. “I tried to sing an aria, and I broke into tears, thinking, ‘This can’t be,’” she remembers. 

However, shortly after her friend’s diagnosis, Karen discovered Project Purple’s Purple Paddy 5K race, which is part of the organization’s year-round Virtual Events Series. For someone who thrives on action and creativity, doing nothing was never an option. With her recent experience in running these types of local, community-based virtual races, she knew she had to participate for her friend, dedicating every step to supporting him through a difficult time.

“I wasn’t helpless anymore,” Karen says. “I’d found a way to support my friend, others like him, and their families.” Participating in the race gave her a way to take action and transformed her mindset.

As fall rolled around, Karen felt compelled to run again when she learned about Project Purple’s Turkey Trot. With her friend still bravely battling pancreatic cancer, she saw it as another opportunity to stand by him, raise awareness, and continue contributing to a cause that had already given her a sense of purpose.

Turkey Tunes and Donations

Karen combined her two passions: music and community engagement. Inspired by how people collect donations outside supermarkets for causes like the Salvation Army, she reached out to local supermarket staff to ask if she could perform and collect donations. Drawing on her opera background, she performed holiday music in costume as Allegra the Turkey, engaging passersby with her playful energy.

The staff welcomed her efforts, allowing her to set up both a bucket for her local 5K benefiting the school district and a Project Purple donation bucket alongside her performances. In just a few days, the initiative raised over $1,500 for Project Purple, as well as additional funds for local schools and the fire department.

She even had the opportunity to partner with fellow community singer Keith Bryant. A baritone who has spent over 20 years singing Christmas carols at supermarkets and similar venues as a Salvation Army bell-ringer, he proved to be the perfect duet partner for Karen, drawing attention and delight from shoppers.

The supermarket staff were enthusiastic about the collaboration, praising Karen and Keith for their teamwork and noting how much attention and excitement their performances generated among shoppers. Together, the partnership helped raise more funds and made the experience even more joyful, setting the stage for the Turkey Trot itself.

Feathers and Footsteps

For the 2025 Turkey Trot, Karen took her creativity and community spirit to a whole new level: she ran in her full turkey suit that she wore while singing for donations. She had added that turkey suit to her growing collection of racing characters back in 2024, when she first ran her town’s Turkey Trot to support local schools.

But Allegra the Turkey was now more than just a trotting bird: she could sing and fundraise too! This new twist on her fundraising and racing combined her love of movement with her signature sense of fun, immediately catching the attention of fellow participants and spectators.

While she never expects to cross the finish line first, Karen has quickly realized that her approach to racing offers a different kind of victory. “I win in a different way,” Karen reflects. “Usually, I have a cause to run for, and when I’m running, I become a motivator for the people behind me. They see the turkey at Thanksgiving, Mrs. Claus at Christmas, Hopeful Helen for Project Purple on St. Patrick’s Day, or whatever other characters I create, and it helps them keep going.”

Over the course of her races as characters, runners often tap her on the shoulder, sharing stories of how seeing her gives them a boost when they feel like giving up. In those moments, Karen understands the power of visibility and connection. Her playful costumes, her energy, and her willingness to be seen for a cause inspires others to push forward, creating a ripple effect that extends far beyond her own races.

Raising money and running, even in such a whimsical way, also gives Karen a sense of purpose. “I can’t fix the problem of pancreatic cancer specifically, but I can do something,” she says. “Even if it doesn’t end up helping the person I know, hopefully it will help somebody else, so nobody has to go through the whole emotional rollercoaster I’ve been through.”

The Ripple Effect of Giving

She had always given back to the community in as many ways as possible, but this year, as she describes, “the fight for a world without pancreatic cancer has joined my list of passions. I can use my feet (to run) and my voice (singing or otherwise), and with those things together, we can make a difference.”

Being out in the community collecting donations was an eye-opening experience for Karen. “Certainly some of the people who dropped donations in that bucket were people who also had connections,” she says.

Community members shared their personal experiences with pancreatic cancer while contributing, each dollar a reminder of the far-reaching impact of the disease. The generosity and stories she encountered stayed with her long after the event.

When asked what she hopes her story inspires in others, Karen responds simply: “Hope. I guess that’s my one word. And never give up.” She wants patients and their families to know that even small acts, like a singer in a turkey suit collecting donations, can make a meaningful difference.

If you’d like to run or participate in an event of your own for Project Purple, visit our events page.

And if a virtual event like Karen’s inspires you, our Virtual Events Series makes it easy to get started.