Supporting juvenile diabetes research

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Leesville students have been eagerly buying several varieties of chocolate bars since the middle of October. Selling and buying chocolate bars has been one way Leesville students help raise money to support juvenile diabetes research.
Leesville students have been eagerly buying several varieties of chocolate bars since the middle of October. Selling and buying chocolate bars has been one way Leesville students help raise money to support juvenile diabetes research.

At times it feels as if charities exists for any and every cause. There are some for cancer, heart transplants, orphans and obesity. One charitable organization close and dear to Leesville’s heart for many years has been juvenile diabetes.

This year Executive Council raised a little under $5,400 to give to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a non-profit agency founded in 1970, by several means.

Executive Council sold chocolate bars at a dollar each to raise money in October. Money raised from selling milk, almond, caramel and dark chocolate bars were directly donated to JDRF. Selling 60 boxes, with 60 in each, the council raised around $2,400 from chocolate. Is it an oxymoron to sell chocolate to help diabetes? Perhaps. It it profitable? Yes. The money supports testing treatments and researching preventions. Even the smallest amount can be a start.

Members also collected money from students and staff for juvenile diabetes during Pride Period for one week in October, as they do every year. Around $3,000 had been donated to the cause.

This year the council will help with the Triangle Walk To Cure Diabetes on Saturday, November 10, which is also run by JDRF. The public can either register online or at the event. Register/sign in starts at 8:30, while the walk starts at 10:30 a.m.

While the general public can help diabetes research by participating in such walks and donating money, businesses have their own private ways to help donate to the cause. Bayer Science Cooperation is having a craft sale/fundraiser on November 29, where employees can sell handmade crafts of any kind. Twenty percent of all sales are donated directly to JDRF. However, only employes and their families can be involved.

“It’s a great way for everyone to display and share their artwork, get some money back and donate to a good cause,” Dianne Cantoni said, employee of Bayer Corp and artist.

Cantoni plans on painting pet portraits, then selling those and other art to add to profits of the fundraiser. Cantoni’s art resides on wood, mailboxes, canvases and countless other surfaces one can paint on.

There are a thousand ways to be involved in a thousand organizations. Whether one person buys a chocolate bar, or five hundred participate in a walk, they help something bigger than themselves.

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