WALKING FOR A CAUSE — pictured from left to right are Kade Currie, Kameron Currie, Madison Springs, and Heather Lawson. Santa Gertrudis School gathered their students at Javelina Stadium for School Walk for Diabetes, an event of the American Diabetes Association recently.

Students and teachers of Santa Gertrudis worked together to raise funds to support the important research and advocacy efforts of the American Diabetes Association.

Approximately 23.6 million children and adults have diabetes in United States, and one in three babies born today will develop diabetes in their lifetime.

Not only did students raise over $4,400, but they also actively learned lifelong lessons about the seriousness of diabetes and how eating healthy and exercising can help prevent the disease.

The school will receive a percentage of the funds raised to purchase physical education equipment and school medical supplies.

“All of us were excited to participate in School Walk for Diabetes. It is a chance for us to make a difference in our community and at the same time raise money for and important cause. My son has Type 1 diabetes so this fundraiser is extremely important to him and our family,” said parent Kristi Currie.

More than 1,600 schools participated in School Walk for Diabetes during the 2007/2008 school year and the number grows significantly each year.

Santa Gertrudis School is currently the highest money raiser for the School Walk this year according to the ADA newsletter.

An awards assembly was hosted by ADA on December 17, 2009 so students could receive their prize incentives and be congratulated for all of their hard work.

The top fund raiser at Santa Gertrudis was Kade Currie, a second grader at Santa Gertrudis, second place was Kameron Currie, a Pre-Kindergarten student at Santa Gertrudis, 3rd place was Heather Lawson, a 7th grader at Santa Gertrudis, and 4th place was Madison Springs, a 4th grader at Santa Gertrudis.

Kade Currie, who is diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, has been the school’s biggest campaigner and top money raiser for the last three years. He was rewarded this year with a trophy and gift card to Academy along with all other incentive prizes.

The ADA is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association supports volunteers in every state and region of the country, providing service to hundreds of communities across the country.

For more information on School Walk for Diabetes and how your school can get involved, call 1-888-DIABETES or visit www.diabetes.org/ schoolwalk.