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DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Daily Wildcat
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Fundraiser participants walk in a 'Walk for Diabetes' benefit on Saturday at Reid Park. October is the busiest month in Tucson for charity walks/runs.
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By Julie Wetmore
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tuesday October 14, 2003
Instead of dressing up for posh charity balls, members of the UA community are dressing down to run and walk for benefits.
On Saturday, some 40 UA students, faculty and staff attended Tucson's Walk for Diabetes at Reid Park starting at 8 a.m. More than 1,200 people of all ages attended the walk, some with their dogs.
Mary Carter, chairperson of the College of Science Staff Advisory Council, said that more than 200 people donated money to the diabetes walk and raised around $9,300 from the UA alone.
Other colleges are also participating in and hosting similiar events.
The Nursing Memorial 5K has registered over 580 people so far.
Ellice Mellinger, coordinator of the event, said that she "thought it would be a nice way for people to get together, and they'd be outside and getting exercise."
Some 500 people are expected to join in the Tucson First Run, said Sharon Bart at the Tucson Running Shop.
Sandy Moomey of the Tucson Arthritis Foundation also confirmed that more than 100 teams will be participating in their run and walk with team membership varying from 5 to 100-plus people. The Jingle Bell Run and Walk draws people who run for others who have arthritis. It is a national event with walks in dozens of cities this year.
Charity walks are the service projects of choice for the College of Public Health because everyone can participate in the walk, said Adeniyi Alo, College of Public Health graduate assistant.
"Your level of participation is determined by how much time you have, if you have the chance, and if you like you can go to every walk based on your own schedule," said Alo.
Some students, however, are very dedicated and attend each and every charity walk they can.
"I'm sure I will be participating in all of the walks," said Chaz Lacy-Martinez, graduate research assistant in the College of Public Health. "I do it personally for exercise, but I do it more for awareness and prevention."
Most people at the walks go for personal reasons because they know someone who has the disease who is the focus of the event, said Carter, whose husband has diabetes.
Other walks are held for AIDS and asthma prevention and research.
Upcoming Events
October 19:
AIDS Walk 2003 at Rillito River Park ö Go to www.aidswalktucson.com for more information and to sign up.
October 26:
Faculty Memorial 5K Run and Walk ö The event is sponsored by the College of Nursing Alumni Council. There is a $35 registration fee and all proceeds go to the Nursing Faculty Memorial Scholarship Endowment through the UA Foundation. Contact Denise at 520-626-6233 or at mangel@nursing.arizona.edu.
November 2:
Race Judicata 5K Run and Walk, in remembrance of Susan S. Barber ö All proceeds fund the Law College Association scholarship fund. Contact Rona Nichols at 520-405-0144 or at race_judicata@yahoo.com.
November 15:
Asthma Walk for American Lung Association at Reid Park ö Contact Melissa at 520-626-3907 or at melisacelaya@hotmail.com.
November 27:
Thanksgiving Cross-Country Classic at Reid Park ö Call 520-326-9383 for more information.
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Chara Chamie, graduate student in the College of Public Health and member of the Public Health Student Alliance Executive Council, said the walks give students a chance to get more involved with what they study.
"We are dedicated to putting feet upon the information learned in the classroom," Chamie said.
Students in the College of Public Health encourage students to go to all the upcoming walks.
Kerstin Reinschmidt, a graduate student in the College of Public Health, had a practical application to participating in the recently held diabetes walk since the disease is the focus of her work and research.
"It's living what we're talking about, being able to walk the talk," Reinschmidt said. " It's also nice to show support for the college."
She will also be participating in the 2003 AIDS Walk on Sunday.
Marie Swanson, dean of the College of Public Health said, "Walking is good for you; it's one of the best things you can do for your health. When I left the house the morning of the diabetes walk, I told my husband, who has the disease, that I was doing it for him."
The college is focused on improving the health of the general public. It's what public health means, said Seumas Rogan, also from the PHSA Executive Council. Therefore, the walks are a way to benefit the community and by participating, they are helping to further the tradition of walks.
"Our community service activities keep the Îpublic' in Îpublic health,'" Rogan said.
But there has been a low turnout rate in the past for participating students from the UA.
Carter said that she took a look at the charity activities and saw that the UA was underrepresented in past years.
"Participating was mainly done through individual efforts, and people didn't use the connections and infrastructure of the UA," said Carter.
But, due to a new promotional campaign including e-mails, poster sessions and a kick-off event held Sept. 10, the college has been able to reach a broader spectrum of people.
Carter said that an honors fraternity at NAU contacted her regarding the events. Representation has also been seen from the College of Sciences and Agriculture with more participants signed up for future charity walks.
Lacy-Martinez said that his college sends out information on the listserv through the main campus and deans, but it is often difficult because the College of Health is located so far away, in the north campus area, and is not as connected to the university community.
