Participants supported each other during the fourth annual Walk to Cure Diabetes, which was held Saturday at Tempe Town Lake and ASU’s West campus.
This year, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International walk was held for the first time at the West campus. Previously, the walk had only been held in Tempe. Holding the walk in Glendale allowed the amount of participants to increase.
Go Daddy, the world’s largest Internet domain name registrar and web hosting provider, sponsored the walk.
People of all ages came out to participate in activities and receive free food, prizes and live entertainment before and after the walk.
Thirteen-year-old Mckaylee Michaelson walked along with her father at the Tempe campus. She said this is her second time partaking in the walk and she wants to continue to participate in the future.
The walk was five kilometers long at both locations. Five kilometers is a little over three miles
“It helps me realize that some people aren’t as fortunate as I am, and it gives me the chance to help them,” Michaelson said.
Renee Parsons, Go Daddy's vice president of corporate events and community outreach, said the company has always been interested in making a difference in the world.
She said that Go Daddy specifically likes helping the community in Arizona, because the company is based here.
Parsons said the walk has been going on in Tempe for the last four years. However, they decided to extend the walk to the West campus to make it more convenient for and increase the number of participants, she said.
“There is no cure for diabetes, but there are ways to manage it,” Parsons said. “That is why they are really trying to push to raise aid and awareness.”
According to the statistics from JDRF, diabetes is one of the costliest and most common chronic diseases among children.
They estimated that more than 15,000 children are diagnosed a year with Type 1 diabetes, she said. Also, she said diabetes could affect a lot of students because it’s a disease that can occur in childhood or late teens and twenties.
More than 20,000 participants came out to walk this year.
Parsons said Go Daddy began working with JDFR about four-and-a-half years ago. She said Go Daddy employees have raised more than $575,000 for the cause during its four-year sponsorship.
This year, the number is just more than $157,000 that Go Daddy has pledged and raised for 2010, she said.
Additionally, she said some people within the organization do have Type 1 diabetes and that Go Daddy’s employees are passionate about this cause and about finding a cure.
University of Phoenix employee Erica Pulido said that she walks to pay respect to her father. He passed away from diabetes and ever since his death she said she’s committed herself to the walk.
“I think students and the community can benefit from [the walk] because it provides a lot of information about the disease,” Pulido said. “Many people don’t realize how severe diabetes is and that it can take your life.”
Rolf Branch works at Chase bank and has participated in the walk for the past six years. He said he has two nephews that suffer from diabetes and he walks for them.
Branch said he enjoys the event because people are able to unite and relate to one another to support people with diabetes. “The walkers have a sense of community and a good understanding about the cause,” Branch said. “Whenever they hold this event, I will come.”
Reach the reporter at khillhou@au.edu
