Muscatine Diabetes Walk Project funds support, research – Muscatine Journal

MUSCATINE Kim Seligman has had a busy year.

Her organization, the Muscatine Diabetes Walk Project, rolled out several programs, including a year-long wellness and nutrition diabetes prevention program and two monthly support groups for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. With several more programs in the pipeline, including cooking classes and a diabetes prevention program for third graders, Seligman hopes to live up to her mission to support, empower and encourage diabetics in Muscatine County.

On Friday, Seligman will celebrate that progress with the second annual Muscatine Diabetes Walk. Seligman, whose late son was a Type-1 diabetic, has made it her goal to connect people living with diabetes with the resources and support they need.

I know that these programs and outreach activities were needed in the community and it feels good just to see them coming to fruition and being able to support individuals that live with all types of diabetes here in Muscatine County, she said.

The annual walk was one of the first things Seligman did 13 years ago when she decided she wanted to support people living with diabetes. Initially, she partnered with the Watermelon Stampede to raise money for diabetes research. The annual walk evolved from there, but last spring it became the Muscatine Diabetes Walk, with the majority of the funds raised from the walk going to support programs in Muscatine.

Ninety-five percent of this years proceeds, she said, will go toward local programs, with 5 percent going to diabetes research.

I think (diabetics) need to feel that someone cares about them, she said. Living with diabetes 24/7 is not an easy journey and this is one way that we can celebrate all individuals that live with diabetes and let them have a fun event, come and feel loved by the community, supported by the community and just let them know the programs that we have available for them.

At the walk, Seligman will highlight some of her community partners, including Hy-Vee, whose dietician helps with the diabetes support groups, and UnityPoint HealthTrinity Muscatine, whose clinicians assist with the diabetes prevention program.

Seligman said there is still much to be done in Muscatine County.

I definitely want to see our Muscatine diabetes prevention program grow; we definitely want to grow that program, she said. We want to reduce the percentage of individuals that are at risk for pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes here in Muscatine County.

As she has thus far, Seligman hopes to collaborate with organizations who offer wellness services and connect people with services already available to them.

There are many good things (in the community) and its just connecting everything together, she said. If thats what our purpose is, I am so excited about that.

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Muscatine Diabetes Walk Project funds support, research - Muscatine Journal