JDRF Is Ready to Walk to Cure Diabetes
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Mar 5, 2011, 0 Comments
Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
“Lasso the Cure”
It’s time to cowboy-up and get ready to help Laredo’s Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Lasso the Cure at their 2011 Walk to Cure Diabetes event on Saturday, April 2, 2011, starting at 8:00 a.m. at Texas A&M International University. Laredo I.S.D. Superintendent Dr. Marcus Nelson is the 2011 Walk Chair and he will be joined by some very special Family Team Chairs and Walk Ambassadors: local high school seniors who are living with Type I Diabetes.
“I am honored to serve as honorary chair for Laredo’s JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes and I humbly ask the community for their participation,” said Dr. Nelson. “About one in every 400 children suffers from some type of diabetes. We want every child to lead a healthy life and see their dreams come true. Additionally, several LISD schools and departments are already making plans to participate and raise money for this great cause. We challenge all local institutions and businesses to do the same for JDRF,” he concluded.
This year’s walk promises to be one of the best ever, as it is the easiest way for anyone in the community to help raise funds for this worthy cause. This 5K Walk (three miles) is one complete loop around the beautiful grounds of TAMIU. People can register on their own or as a team at www.jdrf.org (Register for Laredo Walk) or inside the TAMIU Student Activity Center starting at 8:00 a.m. The Walk begins at 9:00 a.m. on the east side of the Student Activity Center and participants simply walk to collect pledges for the cause. There will be entertainment, food and drinks, Children’s Corner, Team T-shirt contest and other festivities during the event.
One special aspect of the Walk is the participation of young people, and their families, who are living with juvenile diabetes. This year’s Family Team Chairs and Walk Ambassadors are: Mother/Daughter Team Araceli and Selika Alvarado; Mother/Daughter Team Trace and Stacy Gail Garza; and Father/Mother/Daughter Team Bruce, Alice and Nicole Werstak.
“Having diabetes has taught me to be more responsible, to live life to the fullest and to appreciate all the little things in life, to be thankful for everyday that I wake up and for every breath I take, but most especially, to have a chance to be with people I love,” said 17-year old Selika Alvarado, who just recently graduated from United High School in December 2010.
Laredoans never fail to show their desire to help worthy causes in our community. JDRF extends a special “Thank you!” to this year’s Walk sponsors: Title Sponsor: BBVA Compass Bank, as well as other sponsors, including the Lamar Bruni Vergara Trust; IBC; HEB; Laredo Medical Center; Commerce Bank; Del Mar Mini Storage; Great American Cookie; and PLACAS Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club from Eagle Pass.
Another winning Laredo team who is partnering with JDRF to help “Lasso the Cure” for juvenile diabetes is the Laredo Bucks hockey team. The Laredo Bucks will be raffling off a chance to shoot for $25,000, as well as an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) to fans who purchase a Laredo Bucks Fan Card. The Bucks Fan Card is only $10 and features great discount offers from Olive Garden, Hampton Inn, Buckets Bar and Grill, Rock Fitness and Triple J Express Lube, as well as two opportunities to win, while helping a great cause. A portion of the proceeds raised from the raffle will benefit JDRF. The $25,000 shoot will take place at the Laredo Bucks home game on Saturday, March 12, while the ATV raffle will take place at the Laredo Bucks home game on Sunday, March 27. The Bucks Fan Card can be purchased at www.winthisatv.com or www.bucksfancard.com.
“We are very proud and honored to once again team up with the great people at JDRF,” said Bucks President/General Manager and Head Coach Terry Ruskowski. “We have seen first-hand the great work that JDRF does and we are always willing to help out in any way we can.”
Diabetes afflicts 1.7 million children and adults in Texas alone, many who live in Laredo. Funds raised from sponsorships and attendees of the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes will go towards research to find a CURE for this debilitating disease. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation portfolio of diabetes research is among the largest in the world focused on cures and better treatments for type 1diabetes and its complications.
Today, people with type 1 diabetes rely on insulin to manage the disease. But insulin is not a cure, nor does it prevent the possibility of the disease’s devastating effects, which can include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, amputation and pregnancy complications. JDRF is especially prevalent among Hispanics.
JDRF directed nearly $107 million to such research in FY2010, bringing its total research funding to more than $1.5 billion since its founding in 1970. To ensure that it supports science with the greatest potential to produce results as soon as possible, JDRF has established a research review process that involves leading scientists from around the world, as well as lay reviewers who either have type 1 diabetes themselves or have family members with the disease.
For more information or to register for the Walk to Cure Diabetes on April 2nd, visit the JDRF web site at: www.jdrf.org – Register for TAMIU – Laredo, TX Walk click on the sneaker icon.
