Juvenile Diabetes Walk To Cure 2009

Today was the annual Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk to Cure Diabetes. For the past few years it’s been held at Quinnipiac University in North Haven (what was once Blue Cross/Blue Shield)–a beautiful tree-lined campus which is perfect for the walk.

Helaine came as she has the past few years. So did Stef.

OK–as a father I will admit I’m pretty damned thrilled my 22-year old daughter (she has said she’s 21 for the past three years, but that’s another story for another day) wanted to join us. Most of Stef’s motivation was to be good at a good cause, but she also wanted to show off Roxie. Fine. No problem there.

As it turns out bringing dogs to events like this is the norm and adds to the fun feel.

We set out for North Haven a little before 9:00 AM. With a quick stop at “Dunks” and two wrong turns on my part we were on site by 9:20 AM.

Sunday was a perfect day–the exact opposite of Saturday. The Sun was out. It was comfortably mild. The crowd was large. I have no expertise in crowd estimation (I’d be perfect for Fox News) so let’s just say impressively large–certainly a few thousand.

My job is to act as the emcee and speak to the crowd. Before the walk I promote the hell out of it. There’s no part of this that doesn’t make me feel good. JDRF is a worthy cause served by a well run charity.

Individuals, usually friends and relatives of a diabetic child, form walking teams as a method to collect donations. Each team wears their own personalized shirts. The vibe is great.

The day was a success. JDRF raised a lot of money. My family was together. Roxie charmed (and licked) everyone she saw.

I always hope a dollar I’ve helped collect will be the one that buys the research that finds the cure.