HELP A DIABETIC CHILD RECEIVES COLLIER COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANT
HELP A DIABETIC CHILD RECEIVES COLLIER COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GRANT TO SUPPORT CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS
Help a Diabetic Child (HADC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children and families who are dealing with diabetes, has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Collier Community Foundation. This grant will benefit local children and young adults in securing life-saving insulin, diabetes supplies and medical services.
Type 1 Diabetes is a chronic (life-long) autoimmune disease in which the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin to naturally regulate the body’s blood sugar, leaving diagnosed individuals with a life-long dependency on costly medical insulin. Without daily insulin injections and blood sugar monitoring, a child can only survive a few days.
“We are grateful to the Collier Community Foundation for their continued support of families in our community who struggle with the rising costs of diabetes,” said Tami Balavage, Founder/President for Help a Diabetic Child. “In addition to insulin and medical supplies, this latest grant includes Endocrinology and Emotional Support visits.”
The Collier Community Foundation is a tax-exempt, public, charitable foundation, established in 1985 to increase private philanthropy in Collier County. It awards grants through a competitive application and review process. Selected organizations receive grant dollars from the “Collier Forever Fund,” which is made up of donors who believe in the Foundation’s ability to identify and support the community’s most current needs.
Help A Diabetic Child supports underserved children and families in Florida and Pennsylvania who have Type 1 diabetes and cannot afford insulin, diabetes medical supplies and medical services. It was founded in Naples in 2010 by Balavage after her 16-year-old son was diagnosed with the disease. It quickly became evident that there was a significant number of children who were unable to get adequate medical supplies for blood glucose testing and insulin injections, which must be done multiple times daily.
Statistics show that the number of Americans being diagnosed with diabetes continues to rise at alarming rates. The American Diabetes Association reports that almost 10 percent of the population has diabetes, while another 8 million are undiagnosed. In addition, the ADA reports that 86 million Americans over the age of 20 years have pre-diabetes.
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a nearly 30 percent increase in Type 1 diabetes diagnoses in the United States, with youth cases growing most sharply among diverse populations.
Diagnosed cases of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are surging among youth in the United States. From 2001 to 2017, the number of people under age 20 living with Type 1 diabetes rose 45 percent and the number living with Type 2 diabetes grew by 95 percent.
For additional information or to support HADC’s mission of providing life-saving supplies and services, please call 239-821-5051 or visit www.helpadiabeticchild.org.
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