Thousands To Walk With Walgreens And Diabetes Research Institute Toward Better Health And A Cure For Diabetes

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Step by step, Walgreens of South Florida and the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) Foundation are moving toward a cure for diabetes in a partnership that has raised more than $700,000 to date. The third annual Walk with Walgreens Family Fun Day and Health Fair will take place on April 20 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, home to both the Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami (UM) Hurricanes football teams. Additionally, throughout April, "scannables" in the amounts of $1, $5 and $10 will be for sale in Walgreens stores from Port St. Lucie down through the Keys. All proceeds will benefit the Diabetes Research Institute at UM's Miller School of Medicine.

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New to the event this year, the Keep Believin' Half Marathon to Cure Diabetes and a 5K Run, organized by Multirace, will coincide with the Walk. The courses for each will end on the field of Sun Life Stadium, where participants can see their faces on the video board. Activities on the field include: a Gatorade Junior Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins, vintage car show, bounce houses, carnival games, a sand castle exhibition, and much more! Miami Dolphins alumnus Joe Rose will kick off the event and be joined by other Dolphins Alumni throughout the day. Radio icon John "Footy" Kross will serve as emcee.

Walgreens Market VP Roy Ripak and DRI Foundation President and CEO Robert A. Pearlman invite all of South Florida to walk side by side with them on April 20. They extend special thanks to presenting sponsors Listerine, Neutrogena Suncare and Zyrtec for their support.

Anyone interested in creating or joining a team can stop by the closest Walgreens store for a brochure or print one online. For those closer to Port St. Lucie than Miami Gardens, a Walk with Walgreens Family Fun Day and Health Fair will be held concurrently in Tradition Square, including a 5K run. For more information on the event in either location, visit www.WalgreensWalkDRI.org or call 1-800-321-3437.

Also "at the corner of happy and healthy" in stores from now through April, Walgreens employees are asking customers if they would like to purchase a "scannable," which features the DRIF logo. Customers can choose to purchase one and write their name on top, as it will then be displayed on the store's walls for all to see.

The Diabetes Research Institute 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 shrink the timeline toward the discovery of a biological cure for this disease.  Having already shown that diabetes can be reversed through islet transplantation, the DRI is building upon these promising outcomes by bridging cell-based therapies with emerging technologies. The Diabetes Research Institute was 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 people affected by diabetes, the DRI is the best hope for a cure. Learn more at www.DiabetesResearch.org.

SOURCE Diabetes Research Institute Foundation