December 14, 2008
Malvern, PA – Some came in elaborate costumes, from elves to school mascots. Others mostly wanted a sampling of delicious pancakes and a few even arrived with a competitive edge; but no matter their favorite aspect of the event, all of the more than 1,000 participants in the 2008 Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis took part in raising money and awareness for the Arthritis Foundation. With a “ready, set, go” from Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07), entrants in the 19th annual 5K benefiting the Arthritis Foundation Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter took off down Grubb Road from General Wayne Elementary School, competing for cash prizes up to $100. —
“It is wonderful to see the community’s enthusiasm for this event, which has grown so much over the past few years with the leadership of event coordinator Cheryl Lutz and the dedication to this important cause of people like Donna Trigone, a constituent from Wayne who helped organize today’s activities and has met with me about arthritis in Washington,” said Congressman Sestak. “We must not accept arthritis as a fact of life, the effects of which cannot be significantly diminished. With appropriate allocation of resources and by increasing awareness, millions of Americans can live happier and more productive lives. In addition, we need to eliminate the myth that arthritis only impacts people as they age, as it affects nearly 300,000 children.”
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability costs in our country at $128 billion annually; $81 billion in direct medical costs. The Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis raises funds to support research, programs and services for the roughly three million people in Pennsylvania who live with arthritis. Each year families, company teams, and individual participants join in the fun, many of them donning festive outfits for the occasion. Besides the race, activities include the Kids Quarter Mile Fun Run, a pancake breakfast and an awards ceremony.
“I look forward in the next Congress to continuing to pursue legislation such as the House the Arthritis Prevention, Control and Cure Act to strengthen arthritis public health initiatives, allowing more people to be diagnosed early and avoid pain and permanent disability,” said Congressman Sestak. “The best approach too all of the health care issues we are dealing with must include effective ways to discover diseases early so that they can be treated in a way that is cost-efficient and causes the least disruption to the lives of the people diagnosed and their families.”
Born and raised in Delaware County, former 3-star Admiral Joe Sestak served in the Navy for 31 years and now serves as the Representative from the 7th District of Pennsylvania. He led a series of operational commands at sea, including Commander of an aircraft carrier battle group of 30 U.S. and allied ships with over 15,000 sailors and 100 aircraft that conducted operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 9/11, Joe was the first Director of "Deep Blue," the Navy's anti-terrorism unit that established strategic and operations policies for the "Global War on Terrorism." He served as President Clinton's Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council in the White House, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. According to the office of the House Historian, Joe is the highest-ranking former military officer ever elected to the Congress.
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Media Contact:
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