Lockport Lions Club to support American Diabetes Association's Camp Aspire

American Diabetes Association (ADA) camps bring thousands of campers together to share a week of summer fun to make memories that last a lifetime. Camp Aspire provides up to 240 children a full camp experience. It focuses on educating children about the importance of blood glucose (blood sugar) management, and empowers them to manage their diabetes actively and independently.

Lions Clubs are dedicated to helping communities with vision needs. Recognizing the connection between diabetes and vision, the Lockport Lions Club is supporting Camp Aspire with a $10,000 donation. Members said, “In doing so, we hope to make Camp Aspire accessible to children in our community who otherwise would not be able to participate.”

Camp Aspire facilitates a traditional summer camp experience in a medically safe environment, providing opportunities for children with diabetes to forge lifelong, sustainable relationships, overcome feelings of isolation, and gain self-confidence.

ADA Camp Aspire is an acronym for “Always sharing priceless, inspirational, rewarding experiences.” The goal of the program is to allow campers the ability to feel at ease and accepted in a community where having diabetes is the rule, not the exception.

A press release said, “When diabetes management is learned at a young age, it can help to delay or even prevent future health problems and consequences, such as eye complications. This year, Camp Aspire has renewed its commitment to eye health and the ADA’s multiyear eye health initiative, Focus on Diabetes, which provides easy steps and valuable information and experiences to prevent diabetes-related eye disease and preserve eyesight.”

Lockport Lions Club co-chair Joseph Rizzo said, “As Lions, much of our vision efforts focus on helping people with vision loss. Camp Aspire is an opportunity to intercede early in someone’s life to help preserve their vision.”

ADA Upstate NY Executive Director Jeff Collins said, “Thanks to the Lockport Lions Club’s support of the ADA and Camp Aspire, we can continue to positively impact the lives our local children by providing them with the education and tools they need to manage their diabetes, delay diabetic eye complications for many years to come, and live their life to the fullest.”

Visit www.LockportLionsClubWNY.com, diabetes.org, or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383).