Buddies 5K Fun Run — Sat, November 2 · Riverside Park
Register or sponsor →

One community,
many buddies.

Diabuddies is a youth-and-family nonprofit fighting the rise of Type 2 diabetes in our neighborhoods — through preventive wellness, pharmacy assistance, and the simple power of someone checking in on you.

4 active programs·0 cost to families·32204 and growing
Brentwood32204RiversideSpringfieldArlington32211NorthsideEastsideWestside32208New TownMixon TownSherwood Forest32206Brentwood32204RiversideSpringfieldArlington32211NorthsideEastsideWestside32208New TownMixon TownSherwood Forest32206
01
Diabetes prevention for kids & teens

Youth Wellness Program

An ongoing, free wellness plan for families — nutrition coaching, movement, and quarterly check-ins with our community health buddies.

Ages 6–18FreeFamily enroll
Enroll a family →
02
No one rations insulin in our zip codes

Pharmacy Assistance

We help families navigate manufacturer assistance, sliding-scale clinics, and bridge supplies when a prescription gap puts someone at risk.

InsulinStrips & metersRx navigation
Request assistance →
03
School & community curriculum

Prevention Education

Plain-language sessions for schools, churches, and neighborhood groups — covering risk factors, warning signs, and how to support a loved one.

SchoolsChurchesCommunity
Book a session →
04
Peer-to-peer A1C accountability

A1C Check Buddy

Match with a buddy in your neighborhood for quarterly A1C checks and friendly check-ins — because no one should manage diabetes alone.

QuarterlyPairsBilingual
Get matched →
Rolling intake
Sat · 10am · 1505 Dennis St
Sign up
Jun 7
Inaugural event

The Buddies 5K
Fun Run.

Lace up with families from across Jacksonville. Every entry funds one month of pharmacy assistance for a neighbor.

Our story

Diabuddies began with one grandma —
and a promise.

Diabetes runs deepest where care reaches least. In Asian-American, African-American, and Native communities, the disease shows up earlier, hits harder, and is too often diagnosed too late.

We started Diabuddies in Jacksonville because the people who walk up to us already know what they need — someone who'll listen, a plan they can keep, and a friend on the journey.

1st

Youth diabetes-prevention nonprofit in our corridor

0

Cost to families enrolled in any program

Buddies, by design — that's the whole point
Read the full story →
From the neighborhood
“People walk up to me and just start talking about their health. That's the brand — buddies you can be honest with about what your body's been telling you.”
Get involved

Three ways to be a buddy.

02
4 hours / month

Become an A1C Check Buddy, help at a community event, or bring our prevention curriculum to your school or congregation.

Sign up to volunteer →
03
One short note a month

Program dates, the next 5K, success stories from real Jax families. No noise, no sales — just buddies keeping each other posted.