The Arthritis Foundation’s Jingle Bell/Run Walk is being held this Saturday in Winona Lake and aims to raise awareness of arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability, and desperately needed funding for research, education and government
advocacy to improve the lives of people living with arthritis.

The Jingle Bell/Run Walk kicks off in communities nationwide during the holiday season. Participants tie jingle bells to their shoelaces, don festive holiday costumes and join friends and neighbors in support of the Arthritis Foundation’s mission to prevent, control and cure arthritis, and its related diseases.

The local 5K event begins at 1 p.m. with registration starting at noon at the Winona Lake Senior Center. According to Marilyn Twine of the Arthritis Foundation
Heartland Region, the event will also feature a Santa Chase beginning at 12:40 p.m. “It’s exactly what it sounds like,” she said. “Kids chase Santa around.”

Approximately 90 people pre-registered for the Jingle Bell Run/Walk and organizers expect another 20 to 30 to register the day of the 5K.

Locally, Katherine Alderfer has been named the 2012 Jingle Bell Run Youth Honoree. Katherine was diagnosed in 2010 with the very rare auto-immune disorder, Juvenile Dermatomyosistis or JMD. The disease causes a number of debilitating symptoms including muscle pain and weakness, ulcers, rash, severe fatigue, lung and heart disorders, calcinosis (muscle hardening) and swallowing and digestive problems. Some children will experience remission, while others will battle the disease their entire life.

Katherine and her family will be present the day of the event and will help pass out awards at the end of the 5K.

The Jingle Bell Run/Walk also brings to light that the prevalence of arthritis or chronic joint symptoms is surging. Some 1,356,000 Hoosiers are affected.

About the Arthritis Foundation
The Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) is committed to raising awareness and reducing the unacceptable impact of arthritis, which strikes one in every five adults and 300,000 children, and is the nation’s leading cause of disability. To conquer this painful, debilitating disease, we support education, research, advocacy and other vital programs and services.