Rain clouds fled as Ithaca College students and their professor broke out of the lab last Saturday and headed to Fayetteville’s Green Lakes State Park to bring their quest for a diabetes cure to a new level.

Mary Turner DePalma, professor of psychology and assistant dean for the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies, and a student research group study the psychological effects associated with diabetes. Recently the class joined with the American Diabetes Association and participated in the “Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes Event.”

DePalma said the psychology research team looks at the social and psychological factors that predict how someone will deal with diabetes. Ultimately, the group works toward a cure for diabetes by way of psychological interventions.

“A lot of the work that we are doing is designed to help people with diabetes, but the actual implementation of that help is three years away,” she said. “These students in particular wanted to have both that long-term impact and a more immediate impact in helping people with diabetes.”

After years of researching ways to display concern for diabetes outside of the classroom, this is the first year the team has set its efforts in motion. The class signed up for the American Diabetes Association walk in Fayetteville, which is near Syracuse.

“The American Diabetes Association is an incredibly well-respected and responsible organization,” DePalma said. “When you donate resources to them, it really does go to help people with diabetes. I can’t think of a better organization to support to help those people.”

Senior Lindsey Calabrese said she found the event through a Google search. She proposed the three-mile walk fundraiser to her professor.

 “I gave Professor DePalma all of the dates and locations for when the walks were happening,” Calabrese said. “Each person had their own individual page with their own individual goal for collecting money. Everybody’s contributions [were] added together onto our team page.”

Through the ADA’s Web site, e-mails and Intercom announcements, the team generated a wealth of

support from family members, faculty and staff. Junior Jacqueline Baum said the ADA page made e-mails the easiest way of generating funds.

“Through the Web site, all you do is type the e-mail addresses of anyone you want to sponsor you,” Baum said. “[The ADA] already [has] a written letter out explaining everything about the organization.”

Using the simple format, the research team soon exceeded its goal.

“Our team goal [was] $1,500,” Calabrese said. “We already had to raise it once. We started off at $700, came very close to that, so we raised it.”

Out of the 20 teams that participated, the college’s team finished second in overall fundraising with a total of $1,605, just $80 short of the team in front of them.

Deena Samhammer, the associate manager of the Syracuse branch of American of Diabetes, said she finds joy in student participation because it largely displays the efforts of the ADA.

“It is a culmination of the whole year of work that we do here at the ADA,” she said. “It is the only event that we have in the Syracuse area that is a fundraising event.”

Samhammer said money raised at the walk will go toward local research, education and advocacy for diabetes.

“There are over $2.8 million in upstate New York,” Samhammer said. “That is from Albany to Buffalo and right down to Ithaca and Cornell.“

While fundraising played a large part in the group’s participation, additional reasons motivated students. Senior Ben Tryba said he would walk again because it was a great way to get the team working together toward a common goal.

“You always feel good when you enter in a fundraiser and are one of the top teams or just raise any sort of money in general,” he said. “Bringing the team together, and having fun with everybody on the team was also a positive.”

Whether students walked for team building or just to support the cause, the team’s slogan served as a constant reminder that sometimes the sweetest motivators come with “no sugar added” — the team’s slogan.

Calabrese, whose grandparents both died from diabetes said the walk was an important experience for her.

“For me to be able to be part of this research team, researching this subject, as well as participating actively in the diabetes walk, is something that I really wanted to do because it is close to my heart,” Calabrese said.