WINNIPEG, MB –Today 26 students from Gordon Bell High School got to put their best foot forward. Brian Scharfstein, President of Canadian Footwear, donated 26 pairs of new shoes to the students who are all involved in the Sun Life Diabetes Awareness & Education program, designed and taught through UWinnipeg’s Gupta Faculty of Kinesiology and Applied Health. Scharfstein took the time to assess each individual and outfitted them with New Balance Athletic footwear.
“My greatest passion is to help those in need,” said Scharfstein. “This is a great program that we’ve had the opportunity to participate in for the third time. Knowing we can make a difference is all that matters.”
The Gordon Bell students are taking part in 32 hours of instruction over the course of eight weeks. Each session involves one hour of physical activity, followed by a half hour education component and a half hour learning about nutrition and preparing a healthy snack.
The program has been specifically designed to provide hands-on learning for students so they can acquire the tools needed to lead a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle while reducing their risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes. There is no cost to the students and all participants receive a program T-shirt, tickets to attend a Wesmen athletics event, a water bottle, and draws for other prizes such as an I-Pod, in addition to new shoes.
“We are thrilled with this outreach program that has generated such positive collaborations,” said Dr. Glen Bergeron, Associate Dean, Gupta Faculty of Kinesiology and Applied Health. “Students, faculty members, and schools in our inner city are all benefiting from the generous donations of our corporate and other nonprofit partners such as Canadian Footwear, Canadian Diabetes Association and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.”
This group of students started the diabetes prevention program in February and will complete it on April 21, 2015. The next session starts in October 2015 with up to three inner city schools expected to participate simultaneously.
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Senior Communications Specialist, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
