NEDA and 1403: Walking to Help Those in Need

IMG_2069 (1)As part of our initiative to continue giving back the community that has helped our team so much in recent years, FIRST Team 1403 will be participating in many more community events than it has in previous years. For every event, we will briefly describe the cause and talk about how we helped that cause further its goals.

Dear Friend,

As many as 24 million Americans struggle with eating disorders…. In spite of the unprecedented growth in  the past two decades, eating disorders research continues to be under-funded, insurance coverage for treatment is inadequate, and societal pressures to be thin remain rampant.

One of the most hidden yet most prevalent problems that exists today in our neighborhoods is the agony of high schoolers, much like ourselves, with eating disorders. It is not a psychological problem but a disease; these students simply cannot eat, cannot eat in moderation, or cannot eat without feeling the need to purge immediately afterward. This is what the National Eating Disorders Association hopes to bring to light.

We can confront these serious illnesses with increased awareness, early intervention and improved access to treatment. NEDA provides programs and services to give families the support they need to find answers for these life-threatening illnesses.

The path taken during the Sept. 20th NEDA Walk. (c) Google On September 22, 2013, several members from Team 1403 took part in the central New Jersey NEDA walk in Montgomery Park. These members began the walk at approximately 10am, touring through a pathway adorned with facts and statistics that reveal just how common eating disorders are today. Even though this was the first NEDA walk in the area, the event progressed readily and without complications.

Fifteen members, primarily team leaders and captains, attended the walk. The hope for attending this event was not only to help out with this cause, but also to pilot and streamline Team 1403’s participation in many other community events to come. Even in our debut work, we managed to raise over $150 for the walk. This will be used to fund eating disorder hotlines, awareness-raising media campaigns, and future fundraisers for NEDA. We wish the best of luck to NEDA and look forward to attending the second annual central New Jersey walk.

More information about the walk can be found on the walk’s event page, while more information about the National Eating Disorders Association is available on the organization’s website.

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