Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
As part of the Worldwide Week of Service initiated by Lions Club International, the Durbin Lions Club is pairing up with Pocahontas Memorial Hospital to host a Diabetes Awareness Day workshop at the Green Bank Senior Center May 21, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
PMH Public Relations and Special Projects Coordinator Susan Wilkins said diabetes educator Terry Wagner will do a presentation about the disease.
“Terry is doing a half-hour talk on what diabetes is, the difference between the different types, who might be at risk for developing it, what you can do to prevent it, and if you do have it, what you can do to still lead a healthy life,” Wilkins said.
The event will also include a round of diabetes themed Bingo and a diabetes-safe lunch.
“We’re going to have prizes for Bingo which are diabetes cookbooks, and we have some handouts which came from the Lions Club International about diabetes and how to live with it,” Durbin Lion Roger Norrod said. “Then, they’ll have lunch which will be diabetes appropriate. There’s no charge except the normal cost of lunch at the senior center.”
If residents are unable to attend the event, Wilkins said Wagner offers regular diabetes education classes at PMH, as well as a Dining with Diabetes class every fall. This year, the dining class will be in Hillsboro.
Norrod said the Lions Club looked for new ways to serve the community during the Worldwide Week of Service and chose diabetes because of its connection to eyesight issues.
“The Lions encourage getting involved with diabetes awareness because it is the leading cause of blindness for adults,” Norrod said. “That fits in well with the vision mission of the Lions clubs.”
Other things the club plans to do for Worldwide Week of Service is to donate diabetes related books and a magazine subscription to the Green Bank and Durbin public libraries and a monetary donation to the RIF program at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School.
Lions Club International set a goal as part of its upcoming 100th anniversary celebration, to serve 20 million people worldwide in 2015.
“We’ve already passed 28 million since the first of the year,” Norrod said. “They’ve got the goal of serving 100 million people by June of 2018. That’s part of what we’re trying to do – serve people.”
The Lions Club International 100th anniversary is in 2017.
For more information on the event, see the ad on page 8 of this newspaper.