Pioneer teams raise $180,000 for the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes

Pioneer teams raise $180,000 for the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes

More than 315 Pioneer employees, family members and friends joined 8,000 Central Iowa walkers to lace up their tennis shoes for the 2009 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes, held March 7 in downtown Des Moines.

Donations continue to come in, and event organizers expect to raise nearly $1.5 million. Pioneer was the presenting sponsor of the event, and Pioneer employees and their families and friends raised more than $180,000 for the cause. The Central Iowa Walk is the seventh largest walk site in the country and the largest walker per capita.

“Type one diabetes is a disease that affects more than 21 million in the United States. Pioneer’s support of the Walk is a way to help find a cure as well as increase awareness,” said Paul Schickler, Pioneer president and chair for the walk. “Thank you to the Pioneer JDRF committee who helped organize Pioneer’s efforts and to all the employees and thousands of Central Iowans who participated by walking or contributing.”

Donations continue to be accepted through June 1. To learn more about the Central Iowa JDRF chapter or to make a donation, log on to www.jdrf.org, call 515-986-1512, or e-mail .