NASHVILLE, TN — The Dorothy Marie Kinnard Foundation (DMKF) is excited to announce the 3rd Annual FunFitness event which will take place on Saturday, June 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Camp Widgiwagan (Joe C. Davis YMCA Outdoor Center) located at 3088 Smith Springs Road, Antioch, TN. This year’s event promises to be even bigger and better with a wide range of activities and challenges for participants of all ages and fitness levels.
The FunFitness event is a celebration of the foundation’s mission to promote healthy living and fitness in the community. The Pre-Juneteenth FunFitness theme for this year is Freedom to Good Health, Strong Minds, and Healthy Families and will have a guest appearance by R&B Music Sensation Tony Terry, who will perform his masterful remake “Family Reunion,” as hundreds of participants join in solidarity to spread awareness on the country’s 7th leading cause of death and disability.
This year’s event will feature a variety of fun activities such as healthy cooking demonstrations and sampling, ziplining, kid’s water park, gogo pit, kangaroo inflatable jumper, airnasium, disc golf, music and more. In addition, there will be vendors, prize give-a-aways, refreshments, and free convenient parking. The event is free and open to the public.
“Our foundation is thrilled to host the 3rd Annual FunFitness event and is committed to spreading awareness on diabetes prevention through our organization’s mission,” stated Rhea Kinnard, president, and founder. “Because diabetes disproportionately affects people of color, the foundation is taking a ‘boots on the ground’ approach to promoting awareness and education among this group,” she added.
According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 37 million people now have diabetes and 96 million are at risk of developing it. Moreover, diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States and has come with a staggering cost in excess of $327 billion annually and continues to climb as more people develop the disease.
The foundation is a partner with several organizations such as the NFL Alumni Tennessee, American Diabetes Association, JDRF, Meharry Medical College, and Tennessee Health Disparity Task Force among others to help spread awareness through its outreach initiatives.
This year’s event sponsors include Healthcare/TriStar Health, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Target, 353 Media Group, WQQK 92 Q Radio in addition to others.
Registration for the FunFitness event is currently open, and participants can sign up at https://funfitness2023.eventbrite.com/.
For more information regarding the Dorothy Marie Kinnard Foundation, please visit www.dmkf.org.
The Dorothy Marie Kinnard Foundation was established in 2012 for the purpose of raising awareness with the devastating effects of diabetes among the African American populous. The plight to help educate others began when Dorothy Marie Kinnard passed away on September 3, 2011 after battling the debilitating disease for more than three decades. Her life story is quite simple- She was a dedicated mother, grandmother, and servant with the gift of giving. As part of her legacy, the fight to help combat the escalating rise of diabetes among people of color especially African Americans through various initiatives will continue.
The mission of the Dorothy Marie Kinnard Foundation is to serve as a platform to raise awareness and spotlight problem-solving techniques designed to help African Americans and other communities of color better manage diabetes as well as help decrease risk factors for these groups.
More Information:
• T-Shirt pick up from 9:00 am – 11:00 am Participants will join together in a show of solidarity to a synchronized live dance performance in support of diabetes awareness. The dance event goes live on social media at 12:00 noon.
Vendors Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Description: Vendors will be on site to provide information and other resources to help educate attendees and spread awareness on diabetes prevention.
Healthy Cooking
Demonstrations/Sampling
Time: Immediately following dance exercise event
Description: Chef Sean Kilcrease will demonstrate how to prepare great food recipes that are healthy, quick, and economical and best of all, you get to sample them.
Adult/Kid Activities
Time: Immediately following dance exercise event
Description: Activities for the day include ziplining, kid’s water park, gogo pit, kangaroo inflatable jumper, airnasium, disc golf, and much more for a day full of fun while engaging in health education and fitness activities.
DIABETES FACTS & FIGURES
• Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S.
• 21 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes.
• Type II Diabetes accounts for about 95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.
• Diabetes kills more Americans every year than breast cancer and HIV/AIDS combined.
• More than 37 million people in the U.S. currently have the disease- 12% of the population.
• More than 96 million people are at risk of getting diabetes.
• 1 in 4 people don’t know they have diabetes.
• 1 in 3 people are prediabetic and 1.7 million people in our state have prediabetes.
• In Tennessee, more than 818,000 residents- 14.9% of the adult population, are living with diabetes.
• Every year, an estimated 38,000 people in Tennessee are newly diagnosed with diabetes.
• Diabetes comes at a staggering cost in excess of $327 billion to our healthcare system.
