ARPC members participate in Walk for Lupus Now, raise awareness Published May 25, 2012 By Tech. Sgt. Rob Hazelett Air Reserve Personnel Center Public Affairs BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The Air Reserve Personnel Center had eleven members and their families participate in the 2012 Walk for Lupus Now in downtown Denver May 20, 2012. The annual walk is a family-friendly, non-competitive event that raises funds to support the programs and services of the Lupus Foundation of America. The walk is in its fourth year and is comprised of either a one-mile or three-mile course. One servicemember who took part in her first Walk for Lupus Now event was Staff Sgt. Nicole Woodford, ARPC client support technician. Woodford has been donating to the LFA for the past four years, and she finds it beneficial because her aunt has the disease. "I'm very happy with this year's turnout," Woodford said. "We were able to raise more than $525, which doesn't include any additional money people donated during the event." Walk for Lupus Now features thousands of walkers who participate in nearly 60 cities across the nation. The events aim to raise funds for life-saving research and support programs that help approximately 1.5 million Americans who are affected by Lupus. Overall, the city of Denver raised more than $100,000 for the LFA. This also includes more than $13,000, which was raised by the Walk for Lupus Now event. The following ARPC personnel and their family members participated in this year's Walk for Lupus event: Col. Pat Blassie, ARPC commander, Chief Master Sgt. Fatima Jones, Senior Master Sgt. Curtis Smith, Master Sgt. Donna Wagner, Tech. Sgt. David Bader, Staff Sgt. Nina Gillis, and her two children Ayden and Gavin Gillis, Staff Sgt. David Adams, Staff Sgt. Stephen Duerkop, Staff Sgt. Nicole Woodford, Woodford's husband Kevin Turley, their two children Kristina Woodford and Aura-Lynn Turley and Kevin's brother, Andrew Turley, Senior Airman Iris Morales, and Ms. Melissa Castillo and her daughter Hailey Castillo.