Stanford Lions Club supports Diabetes Awareness

Published 11:32 am Thursday, April 11, 2019

Lion Pat Ryan, regional chair of the Kentucky Lions Clubs, spoke at the Stanford Lions Club meeting on Monday, April 1.

Ryan told the group that diabetes in Kentucky has become an epidemic. He stated that in Kentucky, 589,000 people have diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes, and 1.1 million have diagnosed or undiagnosed prediabetes, and 70 percent of them don’t know it.

Lion Ryan, a diabetic himself, spoke very enthusiastically of the Bluegrass Lions Diabetes Project supported by Lions Clubs International. The purpose of this project is to screen, educate and support healthy lifestyles of those with diabetes, and to follow up to ensure that they get or have access to the care they need. Lion Ryan has a very aggressive goal of screening 100,000 Kentuckians by May 31, 2024. Funding for this project is through donations and funds raised by Kentucky Lions Clubs. The Stanford Lions Club presented a check for $1,000 to Lion Ryan to help kick off this project.

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Stanford residents can also help in the fight against diabetes in two ways. First, support the Stanford Lions Club annual radio auction set for this Saturday, April 13 from noon to 8 p.m. Every penny earned from the auction will go back into the community, a percentage of which will go to this project. Secondly, become a participant in the fourth annual Marching Ant 5K Run/Walk in memory of Lily Brooke Bullock on Monday, May 27. All proceeds of the race will go to diabetes awareness. For information, sponsorship or registration, please contact Lion John David Friend at (859) 583-7682.

If helping your community is a passion, please consider joining the Stanford Lions Club. We meet the first and third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Lincoln County Public Library.