DAPHNE, Ala. — The Jubilee City prides itself on its “civic-minded” bent — supporting the arts with the annual Jubilee Festival; and schools with the Mamma Mia Cook-off (which returns this Saturday; see Page 10A for details), to name a couple.

Next month, the city hopes to bring awareness to arthritis, and has teamed up with the Arthritis Foundation on the Gulf Coast to present its first Jingle Bell Run/Walk.

The event is set for 8 a.m. Dec. 4 at Daphne City Hall.

Fees are as follows:

* 5K Run/Walk with recorded time: $25 for ages 15 and up

* 5K Fun Run/Walk for adults, untimed: $25

* 1 Mile Adult Fun Run/Walk, untimed: $25

* Sleep-in adults: $25 (simple donation)

* Sleep-in youth (14 and under): $15

* 5K Run/Walk youth (14 and under), timed: $15

* 5K Youth Fun Run/Walk, untimed: $15

* Elf Chase (A Mad dash for children 8 and under): $15

*1 Mile Youth Fun Run/Walk, untimed: $15

Proceeds go toward research and development of better medicine for arthritis patients.

“This event in Mobile County has been an incredibly popular event,” with more than 1,000 participants, Kellie Myers, director of the foundation — which covers Mobile and Baldwin County, and plans to reach into the Mississippi Gulf Coast — said last Wednesday at a kick-off luncheon.

Some Baldwin County residents expressed interest in moving the event to Daphne and that spearheaded everything. Daphne Mayor Fred Small and his staffers were a “tremendous help” in bringing the event to Daphne, Myers said. “The city of Daphne has been really just so gracious with the Arthritis Foundation in trying to move this event over to the Eastern Shore.”

The Arthritis Foundation aims to improve lives by the prevention and control of arthritis, accomplished through education such as seminars, distributing circulars and offering business education programs, Myers said.

But in the end, it’s all about the Benjamins — or Jacksons, Lincolns or Washingtons you can spare.

“For the cure, it comes down to fundraising,” Myers said. “It’s not a matter of ‘if’ we find a cure for this disease; “It’s a matter of ‘when’ we’ll find a cure for this disease. In order to work toward that, we have our fundraisers.”  The foundation’s benefits include a spring arthritis walk in West Mobile; a summer camp for children; and now, the Jingle Bell Run/Walk in Daphne.

“If we can just get 500 people to raise $100, that would really be wonderful,” Myers said of December’s event.

The group will provide fundraising tools like scratch-off donation cards, Web-based donations and dollar-donation jars for local businesses to aid in the effort.

The event itself is programmed to entice Eastern Shore residents: medal awards will be given to the top three finishers, male and female, in each age category. After the run, the foundation will give an after-party with a children’s menu, games and art activities. Door prizes will be given out, and Myers expect music and dancing for adults.

“It’s a great time,” she said.

But residents should keep in mind the facts while they enjoy themselves, the foundation stated.

Arthritis affects one out of five people nationally; one out of three Alabamians has the disease, according to the foundation, which has worked to limit arthritis’ reach.

In 2005, Myers said, the state had no pediatric rheumatologists.

Since then, the foundation has set up an endowment fund that recruited three physicians at the University of Alabama at Birminham; 200 children from the Gulf Coast now travel to the Birmingham clinic for treatment, Myers said.