West Virginia University is hosting a National Eating Disorder Awareness walk for the first time in the state of West Virginia. The NEDA walk, which will help raise funds and awareness for individuals struggling with eating disorders, will kick off national eating disorder awareness week on Sunday, February 26 at the Student Recreation Center. Check in time is at 11 a.m.; the event is free and open to the public.
Audrey Gunther, walk coordinator, works with the student organization WVU Project Heal to focus on fighting the stigma on eating disorders across campus and the state of West Virginia. “Project Heal is an international non-profit organization that has similar goals with NEDA. Like NEDA, Project Heal works to destigmatize eating disorders, raise awareness and fundraise for treatment,” Gunther said.
“I am honored to be working with such hard-working students for very important causes,” explained Dana Voelker, CPASS assistant professor and Project Heal faculty advisor.
Gunther founded Project Heal in the fall of 2016 and has since been working to improve the life quality of those affected by the disorder. Gunther says that the organization hopes to raise money for treatment grants to help those suffering from eating disorders.
NEDA is collaborating with WVU’s Project Heal student organization to bring awareness to the state of West Virginia. According to the NEDA web site, the organization is one of the most prolific and largest non-profit organizations dedicated to providing those suffering from eating disorders. The group provides resources for individuals and their loved ones. Representatives work with various organizations across the country to help de-stigmatize eating disorders.
For more information or to register for the Morgantown, WV NEDA walk contact Audrey Gunther at augunther@mix.wvu.edu or visit https://www.nedawalk.org/