On Saturday April 6, NSU will host the 2019 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Broward One Walk. The walk is one of over 200 walks that take place annually throughout the country and aims to raise money and awareness for type 1 diabetes (T1D).
JDRF, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, is a fundraising organization for type 1 diabetes. According to the event website, jdrf.org, “Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly. It has nothing to do with diet or lifestyle—and it’s serious and stressful to manage. There is nothing you can do to prevent T1D and there is currently no cure.”
Alie Rousseau, a development manager with the JDRF South Florida Chapter, said, “[The walk] is a big celebration for the community and for the teams that have been fundraising all year long. It brings everybody together and shows people that they aren’t the only ones out there with T1D.”
Registration for the walk begins at 7 a.m. at the Alvin Sherman Library Quad, and opening ceremonies will commence at 8 a.m. The walk will start at 8:30 a.m and will consist of a non-competitive 5k (3.1 miles) walk around NSU’s campus with water breaks along the way. The event is pet friendly, so bringing furry friends along is supported. Treat and water stops for pets are also located along the route.
The walk is open to the public. Participants will be able to enjoy complimentary fresh fruit from Freedom Fresh, and Wawa will provide snacks and water.
The kids corner of the event will feature bounce houses, arts and crafts, Razor the shark and a petting zoo. There will also be a photo spot, with silly props and the opportunity to take team pictures using the #JDRFOneWalk, #Broward and JDRF One Walk filter on Snapchat.
Rousseau said, “We involve both family teams and corporate teams. The family teams [generally] have a connection to T1D whether its a newly diagnosed family [member] or someone they know who has the disease. Corporate teams are corporations and businesses in the community that get involved.”
Club teams are also encouraged to register online and raise money. Teams can register online through the JDRF website and raise money by sharing the donation link through email and social media to family and friends.
Rousseau said, “It is 100 dollars for a t-shirt, so if you raise 100 dollars you get a One Walk t-shirt which can be picked up at the event. We also have a special section for V1P’s which are our participants who have raised over $1,000. They get a special hot breakfast for them and three other guests as well as a goody bag.”
Students are encouraged to volunteer at the event and can sign up on the website or by contacting Haley at vanschaick@jdrf.org. Students can receive service hours or their clubs or organizations by helping with set up on Friday, April 5 or on the morning of the walk. Volunteers are needed to help set up, pass out water and cheer runners on along the route.
For more information about the event, students can email rousseau@jdrf.org pr check out the walk website at https://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?fr_id=7650&pg=entry#event_about.
