This Saturday, November 14, 2009, New York City’s Empire State Building , as well as monuments around the globe, will light up in blue in honor of World Diabetes Day, a day declared by the United Nations at the request of Rotary International, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), and other organizations. In 2008 Rotary International established an Action Group for Diabetes (RAGD) under the leadership of C. Wayne Edwards (Tallahassee. Florida), Dr. Massimo Benedetti (Perugia, Italy), Dr. Martin Silink (Lane Cove, Australia), and Dr. Larry C. Deeb (Tallahassee, Florida).

On Sunday, November 8, 2009 Arcadia Rotary members Tony Parille, Michael Ojeda, Eric Barter and Dirk L. Hudson were among an estimated 15,000 people who took part in the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium Walk for a Cure to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. They walked as part of “Team Miranda Sarah” named after Dirk’s four year old grand-daughter Miranda Sarah Speirs who was diagnosed at age three with the condition.  Other Arcadia Rotarians who were not able to walk that day nevertheless made donations to the JDRF.  Photos of the event can be found by Clicking Here.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world’s largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research, is encouraging the public to learn about type 1 diabetes and its complications by observing World Diabetes Day. As observed by Syed Azmatullah, a Phoenix Rotarian:

“It is shocking to learn from Martin Silink, president of IDF [and Secretary of Rotary’s Action Group] that half of the 440,000 children with diabetes worldwide lack access to the insulin they need to live. It is necessary that every Rotary District observes World Diabetes Day to spread awareness of and help detect and treat the silent killer.”

Currently Rotary Action Group (RAGD) members have matching grants for children with diabetes in 3 countries, Bolivia, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Rotarians are active in projects in Nepal and Sri Lanka. Commitments are in place to provide insulin to 25,000 additional children and to raise the potential to 40 countries by 2012.(Lack of insulin is the leading cause of death for children with diabetes worldwide) Rotary Action Group members support at least 5 foot care projects in the Caribbean through the matching grant process.