Diabetes Research Institute's "Walk for Diabetes and Family Fun Day Presented by Walgreens" Set for Saturday, March 8

MIAMI, Feb. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation has once again teamed up with Walgreens, the nation's largest drugstore chain, for the DRI Walk for Diabetes & Family Fun Day. This marquee event along with The Biggest Loser RunWalk 5K will be held the morning of Saturday, March 8, 2014 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, home to both the Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami (UM) Hurricanes football teams.  Another walk will take place simultaneously at Tradition Square in Port St. Lucie to help raise critical funds so the Diabetes Research Institute can get one step closer to a cure.

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Now in its fourth year, the DRI Walk for Diabetes & Family Fun Day has raised more than $1 million through its partnership with Walgreens for the cure-focused work of the Diabetes Research Institute, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. This fundraising effort is supported each year by teams of families affected by diabetes, office teams, Walgreens employees and customers, volunteers and corporate sponsors.

The DRI Walk for Diabetes & Family Fun Day will feature a walkathon, a 5K and mile fun run; bounce houses, face-painting, health booths and more. Everyone is encouraged to participate, register a team today for this community-wide effort and help support this deserving cause. Get healthy and fit while helping to raise funds for the life-saving work of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), the best hope for a cure. 

The Biggest Loser RunWalk will be hosting the chip-timed 5K sponsored by The Biggest Loser Resorts. The event will start at 7 a.m at the Sun Life Stadium location, rain or shine. Former contestants from NBC's The Biggest Loser will be on hand to cheer on participants as they run and walk toward the finish line. All registered participants will receive a running shirt, finisher's medal, free downloadable race photos and more! In addition, trainers, life coaches and nutritionists from The Biggest Loser Resorts will be on site to give participants a taste of what The Biggest Loser Resorts are all about. Also, a grand raffle will give two lucky winners a chance to win a weeklong stay for two at the Biggest Loser Resorts located in Chicago, Illinois and Niagara, New York. There will also be a Kids' One Mile Fun Run starting at 8:15 a.m. for ages 4-12 where each child receives a t-shirt and finisher's medal.

"The Biggest Loser Resort is thrilled with the opportunity to bring our trainers, nutritionist and staff to this event and allow local Miami residents to get a taste of the Biggest Loser Resort experience. It's exciting to be part of an event that is raising funds for such a worthwhile cause. Our friends at the Diabetes Research Institute are conducting truly remarkable work in type 1 diabetes, and we are honored to be able to support them in this way," said Lesley Carey, President of The Biggest Loser Resorts.

"Diabetes strikes people in our community from all walks of life. Walgreens supports the Diabetes Research Institute through the DRI Walk for Diabetes & Family Fun Day, because together we can make a life-changing impact on the diabetes community in South Florida," said Roy Ripak, Market Vice President for Walgreens.

DRI Foundation President and CEO Joshua W. Rednik added, "Walgreens of South Florida has been a very generous partner of ours for several years, and we couldn't be more pleased with the growth of this amazing event." 

Top sponsors for the DRI Walk for Diabetes & Family Fun Day include, Walgreens, Neutrogena, the Miami Dolphins, Sun Life Stadium, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, NIPRO, Alpina Foods, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, and Florida Ice to name a few.

The fundraising effort will continue throughout the month of March 2014.  All Walgreens stores from Port St. Lucie down through the Florida Keys will invite their customers to support their efforts by purchasing a DRI branded "scannable," in the amounts of $1, $5 and $10. All proceeds from the "scannable" sales will benefit the Diabetes Research Institute at UM's Miller School of Medicine. Customers can choose to purchase a "scannable" and write their name on top, as it will then be displayed on the store's walls for all employees and customers to see.

For those closer to Port St. Lucie than Miami Gardens, a DRI Walk for Diabetes & Family Fun Day will be held concurrently in Tradition Square. Anyone interested in supporting the event through sponsorship, or creating and/or joining a team can stop by the closest Walgreens store for a brochure, visit www.WalgreensWalkDRI.org, or call 1-800-321-3437 for more information on the event in either location.

About the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Foundation:
The mission of the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation is to provide the Diabetes Research Institute with the funding necessary to cure diabetes now. The Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine leads the world in cure-focused research. As the largest and most comprehensive research center dedicated to curing diabetes, the DRI is aggressively working to develop a biological cure by restoring natural insulin production and normalizing blood sugar levels without imposing other risks. Researchers have already shown that diabetes can be reversed through islet transplantation, with some study patients living without the need for insulin injections for more than a decade. The Institute is now building upon these promising outcomes by developing the DRI BioHub, an integrated "mini organ" that mimics the native pancreas, containing thousands of insulin-producing cells that sense blood sugar levels and produce the precise amount of insulin needed in real time.  The Diabetes Research Institute and Foundation were created for one reason – to cure diabetes – which is and will continue to be its singular focus until that goal is reached. For the millions of children and adults affected by diabetes, the Diabetes Research Institute is the best hope for a cure. For more information, please visit DiabetesResearch.org or call 800-321-3437.

About Walgreens:
As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2013 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to be the first choice in health and daily living for everyone in America, and beyond. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,123 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 750 locations throughout the country.

SOURCE Diabetes Research Institute Foundation