Manning Lions Club to march to raise diabetes awareness

By ROBERT BAKER
Item Staff Writer
bbaker@theitem.com

MANNING — A little more than a month after a similar endeavor was undertaken in Summerton, Manning Lions Club members will come together at the Wyboo Plantation Community Center on Monday to march for diabetes awareness.

“This will be the first Manning Lions Club Stride Walk for Diabetes Awareness,” said Tammy Avins, a club board member.

Participants will trek about 1.8 miles around Wyboo, beginning and ending at the community center.

“We will have free blood screenings with Clarendon County EMS,” Avins said.

The Lions Club is a civic organization dedicated to eyesight conservation and preservation. Avins said working toward diabetes awareness encompasses that vision.

“Diabetes affects your vision,” she said. “And the Lions Club is about eye vision.”

Lions Club International consists of nearly 1.4 million members in more than 46,000 clubs in 193 countries and geographic areas. Working by the motto, “We serve,” members tackle such problems as blindness, drug abuse prevention and diabetes awareness through continually changing programs.

Avins said the walk will also serve as a fundraiser for the group.

“We didn’t set a goal this year because this is our first one,” she said. “We didn’t really know what to shoot for.”

She said local members are encouraged by good turnout at the walk held by the Summerton chapter on Sept. 21.

“We’re hoping people will come out,” she said. “We will have refreshments there as well.”



Contact Staff Writer Robert Baker at bbaker@theitem.com or (803) 435-8511.