Pharmacy Participates in Glucose Games

L to R: Ethan Gohari, Dr. Angela Garcia (APhA Faculty Advisor), Dr. Alexis Jurick (APhA Practitioner Mentor), Sarah Francis (NSU APhA-ASP President), Kerry-Anne Rambaran (APhA Treasurer); Bottom row- Alex Heyliger (APhA-ASP VP), Chris Lezark (APhA-ASP SPAN Liasion)

On October 27, 2012, the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP) Fort Lauderdale chapter held our fourth Annual Glucose Games Charity Flag Football Tournament. The event benefits a local organization called “Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth” (FLIPANY) which empowers Broward county children and their families to address health disparities through physical activity and nutrition education.

The student-run event has grown dramatically over these past four years. This year the group raised $3,000 for FLIPANY, increasing donations by approximately 50% from last year. Donors included professors, faculty members, friends and families of Nova Southeastern University’s College of the Pharmacy, pharmacy corporations and local restaurants and businesses. With almost $8,000 in donations over the past four years, FLIPANY has been able to serve over 750 at-risk children in the community.

This year’s tournament hosted over 300 participants who displayed their dedication to our cause. To accommodate the ever-growing event, the tournament was held at a community center in Davie called the Robert H. Bamford Sports Complex. At the start of the event, participants took part in a Guinness World Record-Breaking 100-meter dash for Run for the Planet and National Geographic, contributing to a collaborative effort for the most people to run 100 meters in a 24-hour time period. This was hosted in partnership with NSU’s Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) student organization and Veronica Tomor, Pharm.D, NSU AMCP Chapter Diplomat. This was a great way to add to the WeCAN! Campaign and be part of the group to break a world record, as well as serving as a warm-up for the tournament. At the field, participants also entered raffles and won giveaways and prizes, which included gift-cards to local restaurants and businesses.

This year, Glucose Games hosted its first half-time show to give the event a genuine community vibe. The event showcased the Nova High School Cheerleaders, as well as a local hip-hop artist, and various special-guest DJs. Lynne Kunins, FLIPANY’s President and CEO, joined us at the tournament to say a few words about the organization and express her gratitude for our continued support. In the past, many event participants attended the tournament just to play football unaware that they were actually supporting a local charity. This year, it was very important to APhA-ASP to bring attention to the ultimate purpose of the tournament: to help prevent diabetes in our youth.

APhA-ASP has been committed to community outreach and health promotion under the leadership of our faculty advisors Angela S. Garcia, Pharm.D., CPh, Assistant Professor, Pharmacy Practice, Shara Elrod, Pharm.D., Assistant Professor, Pharmacy Practice and Alexis Jurick, Pharm.D., APhA New Practitioner Mentor. Together with the chapter officers, chairs, and members, we have worked diligently to increase the awareness of this event at the university-level and to recruit ongoing partnerships from the community. This event could not be possible without the invaluable support from our selfless community donors, chapter members, NSU students and the University itself.

If you have any questions about Glucose Games, please contact Angela S. Garcia. angegarc@nova.edu.

: L to R: Ethan Gohari, Dr. Angela Garcia (APhA Faculty Advisor), Dr. Alexis Jurick (APhA Practitioner Mentor), Sarah Francis (NSU APhA-ASP President), Kerry-Anne Rambaran (APhA Treasurer); Bottom row- Alex Heyliger (APhA-ASP VP), Chris Lezark (APhA-ASP SPAN Liasion)