A group of volunteers will be spending the next few months showing how walking can do yourself, and several others, a lot of good.

The kickoff luncheon for the Walking the District fundraiser to help combat diabetes was Wednesday at The Medical Center auditorium.

Warren County Coroner Kevin Kirby and Angela Stockton of Citizens First Bank are part of a committee coordinating the local effort to raise awareness of diabetes, culminating in a walk Oct. 18 from Fountain Square Park to the Barren River Walk and back.

This is the fourth year for the fundraiser in Warren County.

Kirby said the group is self-funding its promotional efforts, and that all the money raised by donors for the walk will benefit the American Diabetes Association, supporting research into the disease.

“We have probably raised $85,000 in the last four years,” Kirby said.

This year, the local committee has established a goal of $35,000 to be raised for this year’s walk.

If that goal is met, the Kentucky chapter of the ADA will come to Bowling Green to assist in the promotion of next year’s walk, according to Kirby.

At the luncheon, the extent to which diabetes affects Kentuckians was emphasized greatly.

“Seventy-five percent of the patients I see have diabetes, and I would say over half of those that do come in don’t have a lot of knowledge of diabetes and how their lifestyle will have to change,” said Andrea Norris, community dietitian with the Health and Wellness Center.

Norris said many of the diabetics she sees have Type 2 diabetes, a preventable form of the disease.

Kirby is himself diabetic, and he talked about the emotional toll the disease can potentially take on those afflicted with it.

“I was fat, I didn’t eat right, I didn’t sleep right, I didn’t exercise, my dad was diabetic and took (insulin) shots all his life but I didn’t think I’d ever get it,” said Kirby, who has several other relatives who are diabetic. “When I got it, I was madder than hell.”

By changing his eating habits and exercising more, Kirby was able to avoid becoming dependent on insulin shots.

Norris said diabetes is one of the fastest-growing diseases in the U.S. and that if current trends continue, one in three Americans will develop the disease.

“It seems like a big battle, but with the selfless dedication of you guys who are contributing, we can raise more awareness,” Norris said.

— For more information about the Walking the District fundraiser, contact Kirby at 843-3111 or Stockton at 393-0700.