Thousands of runners will race the clock this Sunday morning to cross Seattle's University Bridge. Thousands more will walk or jog through the University of Washington campus. Why?
It's all part of the 34th annual Nordstrom Beat the Bridge. The event helps the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) fund type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Participants pledge to raise money for JDRF.
Premera is pledging $5 for every visit to one of our two photo booths at Husky Stadium during the event. We'll double that donation to $10 (up to $5,000 total) for each photo shared on social media with the hashtag #healthyfor.
A team of Premera employees will join Beat the Bridge participants.
Though she doesn't have a personal connection to anyone with diabetes, Heidi Chally joined Premera's team this year. “What can I say? I enjoy running!” she said. “I think it's great that Premera promotes and sponsors events for all fitness levels.”
For other Premera employees, the motivation to find a cure for diabetes is personal.
Eric Earling and his wife, Stephani, signed up in honor of the best man in their wedding, whose son has T1D.
“We've stayed at their house several times and have seen the huge impact of having a child with Type 1 and what it means for parenting and raising the rest of the family,” Eric said. “Signing up for Beat the Bridge is a pretty easy choice since it is already a good event, in addition to it being for a great cause!”
Doris Jeffries' oldest son, Nick, was diagnosed with T1D at age 15. “As a parent, it was a hard pill to swallow but we took initiative to learn about the disease,” she said. “It became less scary as our knowledge increased.”
Her son sticks to his routines to avoid related complications. Doris and her family also do what they can to help ensure other kids don't struggle with diabetes.
“It's our hope that a cure for diabetes is found in Nick's lifetime,” she said.
What can you do to help?
- Take part, in person or virtually.
- Take a photo at Premera's photo booths and we'll donate $5.
- Share it with the hashtag #healthyfor to boost that donation to $10.