by Stephanie Kitts
Daily Lobo
About 4,000 people will visit Balloon Fiesta Park next weekend, but they're not going to watch hot air balloons.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's annual walk to cure diabetes starts at 10 a.m. Sept. 15 at the park.
The walk is the foundation's most important event of the year, said Joann Perrine, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico chapter.
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"Bottom line, the walk is the largest fundraiser that JDRF does," she said.
A team from UNM Children's Hospital - the Hi-Tops - has 19 walkers, said Kelsey Hardin, a spokeswoman for the hospital.
"We're looking for participants from all over UNM, but nothing we're doing seems to work," Hardin said. "We're really trying to get the word out there these last few weeks before the walk."
Walkers raise money by asking for donations in return for their participation.
Although it is not required for participants to raise money, it is highly encouraged, said Lyn Kehoe, an employee at UNM
Hospital.
They will walk twice around the Balloon Fiesta Park, which is about three miles, Kehoe said.
"It doesn't take that much time out of your morning," she said. "It really is an easy walk."
Two years ago, the walks raised about $86 million globally, Perrine said.
She said the foundation's New Mexico branch wants to raise $400,000 this year.
Kehoe said the foundation doesn't have a lot of administrative costs, so most of the money raised goes directly to research.
She said making a difference for people affected by diabetes doesn't have to break your bank account.
"If you just save your lunch money for the next 10 days, you'll raise all the money you need," she said.
Kehoe said participation in the walk has grown.
"Two years ago, we only had 1,000 people," she said. "So we've really grown since then."
There are about 130,000 people with diabetes in New Mexico, and at least 13,000 of them are under 18, Perrine said.
There is no cure for Type 1 juvenile diabetes, but the foundation is trying to change that, she said.
"The reason we exist is to help families that live with diabetes and to cure the disease," Perrine said.
She said support for the foundation is necessary to fund research.
"Research is expensive," she said. "It takes over a billion dollars to get a drug from research and development to the market."
To sign up for the walk, go to
Walk.jdrf.org.
UNM Hospital's team is listed as UNM Hospital Hi-Tops.
