Rahul Bhagwani, a fifth grader at Ralph MT Johnson School asked, "Do you know what diabetes is? Diabetes is a terrible disease that affects millions of children and adults all over the world."
Mrs. Liquori’s and Mr. Reid’s fifth grade classes at Johnson School were inspired by the cause of Juvenile Diabetes. "At R.M.T. Johnson Elementary School, every class has to have a community service project and we decided to collect money for JDRF," Bhagwani wrote.
Bhagwani participated in the project and offered his thoughts on the disease. "There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 2 diabetes is most common and mainly happens in adults. Many people can control Type 2 diabetes by eating a healthy diet. If that doesn’t help, they can take a pill or small shot that will help control it."
Bhagwani wrote that Type 1 diabetes is generally found in children, teenagers, and young adults. "It becomes very challenging for children who suffer from it. Type 1 diabetes is called juvenile diabetes. Unlike Type 2 diabetes, you cannot control it. Individuals suffering from Type 1 diabetes have to take many supplies of insulin every day because their body doesn’t produce enough. Even though diabetes has been around for decades, there is still no cure."
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) works towards finding a cure. The class devoted their efforts to the JDRF as a community service project in honor of a girl named Rory in their class, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes.
Fourth graders also helped raise money for JDRF. "We asked people to donate money and the donors wrote their name on a sneaker we gave them. In honor of their support, we hung all of the sneakers up in our school to show how many people donated money," Bhagwani wrote.
After the donations were collected, all the children who participated and raised money walked around a designated area to show their support. Their efforts paid off with Johnson School raising over $6,000. "We would like to acknowledge Nick Guzzetti, because he raised over $1,000! We hope our contribution will help JDRF find a cure for diabetes, so that all of those loving kids and adults with diabetes will be cured and remain healthy for the rest of their lives. "
Student Nick Guzzetti also took it upon himself to support his classmates and help the cause. His grandmother has suffered type 1 diabetes for over 40 years.
Another fundraiser, Likes, is being held on the Ingersoll Automotive Facebook page. Ingersoll has chosen the month of May to donate to JDRF of Fairfield County. Each Like costs $2 and if a goal of 1000 LIKES is reached, they will add another $1000.
"There are many in Bethel that feel a close connection to JDRF and do all that they can to help find a cure. I am one of those parents and want to say thank you to the wonderful Johnson School students for not only assisting their fellow diabetic students, but educating others about this disease," Craybas said.
Craybas recommends that supporters tune into AMC's The Pitch as JDRF tries to freshen their approach to marketing and spreading the word about Type 1. It can be seen on Sunday night.
