SAN BENITO — Diabetes is a growing issue among populations in South Texas.
In an effort to combat this disease and raise awareness for healthy lifestyles, the school district will host its first Diabetes and Wellness Walk Saturday.
Event organizer and Joe Callandret Positive Redirection Center Principal Ray Saldaña hopes the event can educate, while bringing the community together.
“When we can witness our school district and community working in unison, we can feel confident that we are creating endless opportunities for our students now and for future generations,” Saldaña said.
For the former Rio Grande Valley Diabetes Association board member, the call to action to end diabetes has been something he has been working toward for years.
Diabetes is a growing and pressing problem in the area and Saldaña said he wants to make sure everyone can work together for a healthier existence.
The Diabetes Care Project states 76,000 people in the Rio Grande Valley have diabetes.
That’s too many.
If we can save lives by bringing awareness to this disease than we are on the right track, Saldaña said.
The free and open event will start at 8 a.m. at Bobby Marrow Stadium.
The district’s afterschool site coordinators will have fun, physical activities for children and participants. A local DJ will be on hand to provide musical entertainment.
The event will end with a Zumbathon dance on the field.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, diabetes affects at least 285 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to reach 438 million by the year 2030, with two-thirds of all diabetes cases occurring in low- to middle-income countries.
The number of adults with impaired glucose tolerance will rise from 344 million in 2010 to an estimated 472 million by 2030.
Globally, it was estimated that diabetes accounted for 12 percent of health expenditures in 2010, or at least $376 billion — a figure expected to hit $490 billion in 2030, stated the federation.
The increasing prevalence and associated health complications threaten to reverse economic gains in developing countries. With limited infrastructures for diabetes care, many countries are ill-equipped to manage this epidemic.
“The public needs to know the importance of living a healthy lifestyle,” Saldaña said. “We need to be a positive model to others.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: San Benito CISD Diabetes and Wellness Walk
WHEN: Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
WHERE: Bobby Marrow Stadium, 2025 La Palma St.
For more information, please contact Ray Saldaña at 361-6275 at the Joe Callandret Positive Redirection Center; Luis Gonzales at 361-6310 at the district’s Parental Involvement Center; and Jack Garcia at 361-6451 at the district’s After School Program.
Diabetes Care Project
Did you know?
Nearly 76,000 people in the Rio Grande Valley have diabetes – enough to fill the Texas Longhorns football stadium to 75 percent capacity.
3 in 5 people with diabetes will visit an emergency room or the hospital this year.
1 in 4 people in the Rio Grande Valley doesn’t have health insurance. (That’s twice as high as the national average.)
Every year, approximately $720 million is spent on diabetes care in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties alone.
For the same amount of money we could:
Buy every person living in those four counties an iPad – and still have close to 500,000 iPads left over.
Purchase more than 25,000 cars.
Buy houses for more than 2,500 families.
On average, the cost of diabetes care in the Rio Grande Valley is $9,480 per person every year. That’s the equivalent of 18 months worth of food for the average family.
