A group of veterans will walk from Erie to Pittsburgh over Columbus Day weekend to raise money for the American Diabetes Association.
The Veteran’s March for Diabetes will begin on Route 19 at the Presque Isle Snowmobile sign at 7:30 a.m. on Friday.
Participating veterans will walk to Meadville on Friday. On Saturday, they will reach just past Mercer.
They will finish their trek at the McKnight Post Office in Pittsburgh at 4 p.m. on Sunday, accompanied by the VFW Color Guard Post # 2754 West View.
The group is headed by Vietnam veteran Bob Mandera, whose daughter was diagnosed with diabetes type I at five years old. Mandera has participated in the Veteran’s March for Diabetes for 25 years.
“My dream was to someday raise $1 million for diabetes research, and with the help of the VFW Posts across Pennsylvania, almost $2 million has been raised,” said Mandera, in a news release. “Twenty-five percent of our veteran population has diabetes, so our march for a cure goes on.”
To contribute to the walk, call Bob Mandera at (412) 837-1918 or contact Danielle Vetter, at the American Diabetes Association, at (412) 824-1181 ext. 4609 or via email at dvetter@diabetes.org.
