Celebrities Unite For Diabetes Awareness And Prevention
Celebrities gathered at the K1 Speed Indoor Racing facility Saturday for a day full of snacks, racing, and awareness.
Dorian Gregory, Steve-O, Verne Troyer, and Kyle Massey were just a few of the big names that attended the Celebrity Go Kart Tournament benefiting the American Diabetes Association.
The event, hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson and Gary Sturgis from Tyler Perry’s Diary of A Mad Black Woman, was a celebration of family fitness and fun. Celebrities, nonprofit organizations, and everyday folks joined forces to give back to their communities. The race consisted of 16 celebrity led teams competing against each other for cash prizes. Each team consisted of a celebrity team captain and a handful of children, teens, and volunteers. The winners used the cash prize to donate to the charity of their choice.
Other activities at the event included a silent auction, catered food and beverages, personal accounts about diabetes, and a musical performance by R&B duo Mona Lisa.
The personal accounts were the most touching parts of the day. People came up to the stage and talked about loved ones who have suffered from diabetes. Miss California International, Brittany Wagner, was especially open about her father who lost his sight and eventually died from complications with diabetes.
For the event coordinators, reaching out to people and teaching them how to deal with diabetes was the most important part.
“It is really important that we teach the children that diabetes, or any other disease for that matter, does not have to be unmanageable,” said event organizers Stacy Lyles and Askari Ali. “The most common variant of Diabetes (Type 2 variant) is preventable by implementing good eating habits and regular physical activity in kids, so they can grow up healthy and strong.”
Various other nonprofit organizations and health facilities showed their support and involvement with the tournament by joining in on the racing activities. The Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, St. Jude’s Research Center, City of Hope Centers, and The Complete Athlete Foundation for Kids were among the charities that participated in the event.
About the American Diabetes Association
“The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading nonprofit charity providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. The ADA is heavily committed to fighting the deadly consequences of diabetes and helping those affected by this disease. The ADA funds research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes and all its variants, delivers services to hundreds of communities, provides information for both patients and health care professionals, and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes.”
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