In conjunction with the nationwide “Make A Difference Day,” Newman Catholic Center members Sandi Roznovsky and Brian Yandle organized a lupus walkathon for Saturday in Chicago.

The walk, which will take place in the Lincoln Park area at 10 a.m., is a 5K walk open to all, said Roznovsky, a sophomore history education major and member of the Newman Catholic Center Student Ministry Team. The walkathon is sponsored by the Alliance for Lupus Research, a not-for-profit organization based in New York.

Lupus is an incurable, autoimmune disease that attacks the body, said Yandle, an NIU 2004 graduate and bachelor of science accountancy major.

“Normally, a healthy person will make antibodies if they start getting a cold or any kind of sickness,” Yandle said. “When a person has Lupus, the antibodies that they make start attacking their own cells. So, if a person who has lupus gets sick, then it’s even that much worse.”

Yandle said all the money raised from the walkathon is being donated to the Alliance.

Roznovsky said they chose to organize a walkathon as a part of “Make A Difference Day” because her aunt, now 40 years old, has had lupus since age 16.

“For [my aunt’s] wedding, she didn’t want any gifts or money,” Roznovsky said. “She asked that everyone who came donate to the Alliance for Lupus Research foundation. It’s really important to her and she’s really excited that we are going.”

There are seven people currently on their team, Julie’s Angels, Raznovsky said.

There are more than 200 individuals and 20 teams signed up through the Alliance, with more than $70,000 raised total for all of Chicago. The Newman Center raised almost $1,000 from 37 donors through fundraisers and announcements, she said.

Roznovsky said she and her aunt attended a Lupus Walkathon last year held at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., where her aunt raised more than $3,000.

Nathan Birtell, a sophomore mechanical engineering major and member of the Newman Center, said he signed up for the walkathon about a week ago.

“I want to participate in the event because it is for a good cause,” Birtell said. “I don’t actually know anyone who has been directly affected by lupus, but I still want to do my part to help.”

The event, which will last about an hour, will be held rain or shine, Roznovsky said. Anyone interested in attending should be at the Newman Center by 8 a.m, Saturday she said.

To sign up for the event, or to donate directly to the Alliance for Lupus Research, go to walk.lupusresearch.org or www.lupusresearch.org.

To sign up for the event and to donate, call or e-mail Sandi Roznovsky at 443-834-3738, at [email protected], or Brian Yandle at 630-689-6789, or at [email protected].