Home > News > ‘Step out and fight Diabetes’ set for mid-March
‘Step out and fight Diabetes’ set for mid-March
BY AMANDA DANIELS
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
ISSUE: 78/22
There are nearly 21 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes and every year, 200 cities walk to fight against it, according to www.diabetes.org. Duluth is one of those cities. On March 15 at the Miller Hill Mall, teams made up of people who are concerned about fighting this disease will walk a few miles and raise thousands of dollars, which will go toward finding a cure.
“Step Out to Fight Diabetes” Web site says their goal is “to change the face of diabetes in our country.” The American Diabetes Association truly believes America can “crush this epidemic.” “This is one of our signature events the association is known for,” said Jennifer Williams, a member of the Diabetes Association. “Every state has at least one walk if not more than one. In Minnesota, there are six.” Students are more than welcome to come help fight the disease, and many students have participated in previous years.“They can volunteer or form a team and walk,” Williams said. “Last year there were a couple groups, clubs and sororities.”
Williams believes the event really helps those with diabetes to feel appreciated and it helps them know people care. “It’s important for a couple reasons,” Williams said. “To create awareness in the community and also so people with diabetes can see people in their community support them.” On the “Step Out to Fight Diabetes” Web site, Chris and Kristie Genovese tell their story about how walking helps them create awareness for their daughter who has diabetes. “The first year [we participated], it was a way to let our family and friends know what was going on with us,” Kristie Genovese’s story read.
However, not many UMD students know about the event. Andrea Miller is the Eta Sigma Gamma sorority president here at UMD and hasn’t heard of the “Step Out to Fight Diabetes” walk. “Normally I would ask the group if they were interested in participating, but at the last meeting we kind of decided that we have a lot on our plate already for the semester,” Miller said. For anyone looking to go help out, walk, support or check out “Step Out to Fight Diabetes,” go to diabetes.org/stepout or call 1-888-DIABETES for more information. “We could use all the support we can get,” Williams said.
