Bison Walk to Create Awareness for Diabetes

The NDSU community will participate in the annual walk “Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes” while wearing yellow and gold and supporting those who have diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association initiated this walk in order to raise funds to find cures for diabetes, do medical research and to organize public awareness campaigns.

“Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes” will be held on Oct.13 at the Fargo Scheels Arena. Participants will be checked in at 8:30 a.m. and the walk will take place from 9:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to participate and show their bison spirit.

“Let’s walk for Diabetes fundraising and fill Scheels arena with green and yellow Bison”

Jingyang Xiao, committee member of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists at NDSU, said.

At NDSU many student and non-student organizations are competing to raise funds for this cause.

Currently, the College of Science and Mathematics is competing against the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Science to raise more funds. These two teams have created a healthy competition that has encouraged other organizations to raise more money.

Eric Heitkamp, the team leader of the College of Science and Mathematics walking team, said that the spirit of this competition inspires all the organizations that are taking part in this walk.

“I hope this will be an yearly competition and with each passing year it will grow to create a competitive sprit amongst those involved,” Heitkamp said, “which will ultimately raise more money and increase support for such a great cause.”

According to American Diabetes Association website, more than 150,000 participants from over 130 walk events across the country came together last year to raise over $20 million.

This year from the NDSU community, various academic and cultural groups are participating from student organizations to departments and colleges. The goal as a campus is to raise $5,000 and fill the Scheels arena with green and yellow walkers.

For some participants, diabetes is a personal issue related to their loved ones. Kara Gravely-Stack, the walking team captain of Equity Diversity and Global Outreach, walks to support her daughter.

“My daughter was diagnosed a little over a year ago with Type 1 Diabetes,” Gravely-Stack said. “Other members of my family, as well as my daughter, are walking in support of efforts to find a cure.”

During the walk, participants get the opportunity to speak to “Red Striders” who are actually living with type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes.

Participants are encouraged to cheer when they see Red Striders, who are identified as those wearing red.

Eric Patterson, Operation Diabetes Chair of the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists, joined the walk last year. He also met Red Striders and was inspired by the event.

“When you do the walk you get to meet individuals who live with diabetes and hear their stories. They will sit there and talk to you, and you will get a chance just to see how complicated [it is] to have diabetes in their lives,” Patterson said.

For more information or to donate go to www.diabetes.org/ndsu.