The 21st annual American Diabetes Association’s Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes fundraising campaign on Saturday will be held at a new location this year — Skidaway Island State Park. In addition to the existing 5K walk, there will be a 5K run managed by Fleet Feet Sports.
Registration for the 5K run is $35 per person, and that fee includes a commemorative T-shirt. Registration starts at 7 a.m., and the run is at 8. Registration for the 5K walk, which is free, begins at 9 a.m., and the walk is at 10. Walk participants are asked to raise a minimum of $100 to qualify for a T-shirt.
Teams formed by businesses, churches, neighborhoods, friends and families will join efforts to raise money and awareness for the mission of American Diabetes Association. Roughly 1,100 people are expected to attend.
Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes is the ADA’s fall signature campaign and is being chaired by Savannah Fire Chief Charles G. Middleton.
“I hope to use this opportunity as chairman of the campaign to highlight the ubiquity and invisibility of this disease,” Middleton said. “We have strong, fit firefighters who are living with diabetes. You can’t tell by looking at these folks that they may have a serious, chronic disease. Even heroes can suffer from diabetes. Diabetes does not discriminate based on your age, race, gender or socioeconomic situation. It affects everyone and we should all band together to fight and stop diabetes.”
The 5K route will wind through nature trails and along the Intracoastal Waterway. The Step Out campaign also will include a large health-and-fitness festival that features free blood-glucose and blood-pressure screenings, fitness information, professional on-site advice on medications and free literature on a variety of health topics.
Walkers will enjoy a light breakfast, live music and children’s activities provided by Skidaway Island State Park. All funds raised will go to the American Diabetes Association.
“Diabetes affects nearly 30,000 people locally, which is why it is so important to get the word out about this disease and about our campaign. Money raised at Step Out events helps fund research and local community outreach activities,” Middleton said.
Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death by disease in the United States. Statistics show one in three Americans and one in two minorities will develop diabetes in their lifetime. The American Diabetes Association encourages people to learn more about diabetes and the complications that can result from unmanaged diabetes, which include blindness, lower-limb amputation, end-stage renal failure, cardiovascular disease and death.
For more information, go to www.diabetes.org/savannahstepout or www.facebook.com/adasavannah or call Suzanne Willis, Step Out walk coordinator, at 912-353-8110, ext. 3093 or email suwillis@diabetes.org.