Families, friends and co-workers from across the Nashville area raised more than $60,000 through the 2013 Arthritis Walk Middle Tennessee on June 1. The Arthritis Walk is the Arthritis Foundation’s signature fundraising event, taking place in hundreds of cities nationwide typically during Arthritis Awareness Month in May. The Arthritis Walk is designed to increase public awareness, educate people about the benefits of staying active and raise money to fight arthritis.

Joining the crowd at the Arthritis Walk in Nashville was one of the pediatric rheumatologists from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Dr. Thomas Brent Graham, as well as the event’s local junior honorees Lucy and Ashton.

This once-a-year opportunity helps improve the lives of the 50 million adults and nearly 300,000 children living with arthritis in the U.S. By 2030, it is projected that the number of Americans with arthritis will surpass 67 million. In addition to causing pain, this serious and sometimes deadly disease costs the U.S. economy $128 billion each year.

“We are so grateful for companies, organizations and individuals who came together at the Arthritis Walk to honor their loved ones and help raise funds needed to find a cure for arthritis,” said Dorothy Scobey. “The funds raised during the Arthritis Walk help support critical Arthritis Foundation research and programs to improve the quality of life for people living with arthritis.”