Shelton State Community College Diabetes Walk Raises Awareness and Funding
November 29, 2017 – The Shelton State Community College (SSCC) Association of Nursing Students (SSANS) hosted a campus-wide Diabetes Walk on World Diabetes Day, November 14. Held on the Martin Campus, the walk raised both disease awareness and money for Tuscaloosa’s Good Samaritan Clinic.
Following a brief welcome by Shelton State President, Dr. Bill Ashley, SSCC nursing instructor Vicki Hannah introduced special guest, Keith Holcombe. Mr. Holcombe, a University of Alabama football and baseball player, spoke about his athletic experiences and challenges while living with Type-1 diabetes.
Serving also as event coordinator for the second year, Vicki Hannah’s passion was evident in her preparation for the walk. “My passion continues to stem from having a child who was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes at nine years of age, the same age Keith Holcombe was diagnosed,” said Ms. Hannah. “As a nurse educator, I now have many opportunities to impact students concerning diabetes awareness and prevention. Students at SSCC come from many diverse backgrounds. Many of them have limited access to healthcare and health screenings and may be at risk of having undiagnosed disease. I believe this event is a perfect way to increase awareness of diabetes risk and an awesome health promotion activity for faculty, staff, and students.”
The Shelton State SSANS World Diabetes Walk raised over $500. All proceeds benefitted Tuscaloosa’s Good Samaritan Clinic and promote continued screening of individuals at risk for developing diabetes. Lynn Armour, Director of the Good Samaritan Clinic, spoke briefly at the event to thank all participants and to relay the ongoing mission of the organization.
As true advocates for the cause, SSCC nursing students spent the weeks leading up to the event educating the College about diabetes risk and prevention. They continued this by providing free blood sugar screenings at the walk. Additional event support was provided by SSCC Strength Coach Deb Dunn, the SSCC Cheerleaders, and Marvin Lucas.
For more information on SSCC student organization activities, visit sheltonstate.edu.
