The JDRF Greater Blue Ridge Chapter announced today that the 20th Annual Roanoke Walk to Cure Diabetes will be held on Sept. 23 in downtown Roanoke. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Virginia Museum of Transportation and the walk starts at 2 p.m. The walk has a new route this year for the one-mile family route and the three-mile route, which incorporates part of the he Lick Run Greenway. The Roanoke Walk typically includes 1,500 adults and children who are all walking for a cure for Type-1 diabetes. The walk is made up of both family teams and corporate teams each year. Mike Wray and Amy Sheetz, both of Norfolk Southern, are this year’s Walk co-chairs. Last year’s walk raised $1,169,565, and the goal for this year is $1,290,000.

“We have some exciting challenges for our teams this year. Each walker who raises at least a $100 will receive a 20th anniversary walk T-shirt. We have set a goal for our family teams to raise $1,200 for 2012 and for our corporate teams to have at least 20 walkers on their team in honor of our 20 years of making a difference,” said Wray.

Susan Still, president and CEO of Hometown Bank, is serving as this year’s corporate recruitment chairwoman. Advance Auto Parts is the signature sponsor, and Creditors Collection Service is the platinum sponsor for the event. Gold sponsors include Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital, CCS Medical, Elizabeth Arden, Friendship Retirement Community, HomeTown Bank, ITT Exelis, Kroger and Servpro. Silver Sponsors include Allstate, Carter Machinery, Dixon, Hubard, Feinour, & Brown Inc., Liberty, Roanoke College, Rick Woodson Honda and Tandem Diabetes Care.

“We are excited to be part of the chapter’s 20th anniversary of the walk with a new path along the greenway. We are also thrilled to be partnering once again with the Virginia Museum of Transportation as they celebrate their 50th anniversary,” said Still.

The walk concludes with a picnic lunch in the rail yard of the Virginia Museum of Transportation provided by Kroger. Free frozen yogurt samples will be available from Menchie’s, as well as frozen lemonade from Deb’s Frozen Lemonade. Local band Barefoot West, who was recently featured in the movie Lake Effects, will be playing before and after the walk. Barefoot West is a quintet of musicians, full of smooth grooves, tight playing, great songwriting, and effortless harmonies.

Since its founding nearly 40 years ago by parents of children with Type-1 diabetes, JDRF has funded more than 1.6 billion in diabetes research. JDRF is a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of Type-1 research.

– Submitted by Charlotte Kidd, Executive Director, JDRF Greater Blue Ridge Chapter