Follow these Diabetes Resources Links for more information!

 Volunteer Opportunities

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – Western Wisconsin Chapter (Type 1)

Telephone: (608) 833-2873

Website: http://www.jdrfwesternwisconsin.org/get-involved/

American Diabetes Association

(Type 1 and Type 2)

Telephone: 1-800-DIABETES

Website: www.diabetes.org

Camp Marrakesh Volunteer Opportunities

Camp Information

Camp Marrakesh Volunteer Opportunities

Lions Diabetes Advocacy

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Ride to Cure

Verona Lion Lisa Ruth recently participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Ride to Cure to raise money for this fantastic cause.  Here are her recollections on the day: 

I am happy to report that on August 14, 2010, I rode my bicycle 100 miles!  Along with over 250 fellow riders, we began our journey at 7:00 am from LaCrosse, crossed the Mississippi, went south to Iowa, did a 16 mile loop, and returned the same way.  The weather could not have been more perfect.

Why the ride?  Type 1, also known as juvenile diabetes, is a devastating, often deadly disease that affects millions of people, a large and growing percentage of them children.  Insulin keeps people with Type 1 diabetes alive, but it is NOT a cure.  Along with the challenges of living with diabetes, there are many severe and/or fatal complications caused by the disease. 

You may have known about diabetes before, but you may not have known the following:

• Diabetes is the single most costly chronic disease
• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure
• There are approximately 5.7 million people in the United States with undiagnosed diabetes
• Someone you know has diabetes

There is good news – a cure for Type 1 diabetes is within reach.  The JDRF funding and its leadership are associated with most major scientific breakthroughs in diabetes research. JDRF funds a major portion of all Type 1 diabetes research worldwide, more than any other charity.

Reflecting on the weekend, I realize that although this gathering was centered around the ride, being on the bike that day was only a small part of the actual experience.  I trained (prior experience: 18 miles as my personal long distance record) and fundraised (prior experience: selling girl scout cookies when I was 8) for 5 months.  My Team Western Wisconsin teammates were fantastic to train with, and I cannot imagine not having these people in my life now.

I am happy to say that I raised $3,210.00 for the JDRF.  The LaCrosse ride raised over $600K alone, and with the other (4) rides this year, it is projected that over $5.0M will be raised in total!

The weekend festivities were fabulous – hearing peoples’ stories of how their loved ones deal with diabetes, the research that the money was going to fund, and the recent strides being made to help people who have this disease. It was truly inspirational.

I am already looking forward to a Ride next year!  If you would like to find out how you can participate, too, please email me at lisa.krueger@ymail.com!  If I can do it, you can too!

For more information on the JDRF, see their website at www.jdrf.org.