CHS Striders STOMP
Photo Credit: Kaci Greer and Callie Yardley
The long line of walkers in Mackenzie Park for the Diabetes Walk. Diabetics were wearing red ADA hats.
October 9, 2011 • Elizabeth Hansen, Online Editor
Filed under News
Shoe soles rubbed away on the pavement as 50 participants from Coronado partook in the 18th annual Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes on Saturday, September 17th. Over 1,800 Lubbock residents came out to help raise awareness for diabetes, and Jacob Marton was one of them.
Marton was sporting one of the red caps given out for the occasion. Before the walk began, tents were giving out the red caps to the walkers who have diabetes.
“I have had diabetes since I was four,” Marton said, “it’s a challenge and has been engraved in my lifestyle.” He came to the walk to give back to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), which has given so much to him.
Erin Hiscs was another walker who wanted to help and was in the same group as Marton. “I came to support diabetics and walk for a cause,” Hiscs began, “Diabetes is a lifestyle and there needs to be a cure found.”
Both stood waiting in front of the main stage, which featured live music, a speech from John Brock, the Chairman of the Leadership Committee for Diabetes in Lubbock, the National Anthem, and a prayer.
After the prayer had been given, the walkers made their way down a path through the park.
Sophomore Halie Unrein was there with the Coronado Striders and had a personal reason for participating.
“My grandma has diabetes,” Unrein said while walking downhill on the path, “and pretty much every woman in my family but my mom has it.”
A lot of the participants were in the same situation, since nearly 26 million Americans live with diabetes, and 25,000 of them reside in the Lubbock area alone.
Andrew Strawn, technology teacher at Coronado, was one of the people involved in creating the CHS Striders group. “Diabetes is one of the diseases they hope to cure and can be contracted through a virus,” Strawn stated, “It is dangerous to everybody and with research, there’s hope to cure it.”
Strawn pushed to participate in the Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes because his daughter had been diagnosed with diabetes. He began seeking ways to help and proposed that Coronado be involved with the walk. Since last year was the first time Coronado had taken part, this year Strawn worked to expand the participation in the event, and that he did.
The CHS Striders raised a total of $275 dollars to help research a cure for diabetes, as well as lending their bodies during the actual event.
All money raised went to help the research to cure diabetes at Texas Tech University and the American Diabetes Association. If you would like to make a donation or learn more about Step Out, go to www.stepout.diabetes.org.
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