We recently launched one of our most important pieces of advocacy work yet—our Luminary Program. A Blue Heel Society Luminary is an advocate in the war against diabetes who uses his or her fabulous blue shoes to speak volumes about diabetes awareness.
With the Luminary Program, we turn the advocacy over to you and support you doing it *your* way. We do this by providing a Shoebox full of tools to help Luminaries operate a local Blue Heel Society chapter of their own.
A Luminary is an advocate, a delegate, in the war against Diabetes. We choose to use apparel, our fabulous Blue Shoes, to speak volumes about Diabetes Awareness. You can host an event, about anything, and wear blue shoes simply to advocate for those people affected by Diabetes.
Be it a Book Club meeting, Pet adoption day, Church function or a Diabetes-specific event, you can advocate for people who live with or care for someone with diabetes, simply by wearing a blue shoe in “your” fashion.
Regardless of what your passion is, we want to empower community leaders to use the Blue Heel Society as a platform to promote those causes and interests, all the while showing support and raising awareness about diabetes, in arenas formerly thought of as unreachable or unrelated.
We asked Katrina a few questions to introduce herself. Here's what she had to say:
BHS: Connection w/ diabetes?
KH: My daughter Alyse was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 5 years 10 months ago at the age of 2 1/2
BHS: General geographic location
KH: My family and I live in a Kansas City, MO suburb
BHS: What blue shoe (Heel, sneaker, riding shoe, etc.) suits you & Why?
KH: I am a sneakers kinda gal myself. I run a small in home childcare specializing in diabetes care and my sneakers get me through my day of beating diabetes and taking care of these amazing children.
BHS: What does advocacy mean to you?
KH: Advocacy means EVERYTHING to me!! I tell anyone and everyone about diabetes that will listen and some who don't . When Aly was diagnosed I was 22 years old and knew NOTHING about Type 1 diabetes, now I try as hard as I can to let people know of at least the warning signs. They don't need to fully understand everything we go through because they don't live it but I think everyone should at least know the warning signs.
BHS: What are some of your goals as a BHS Luminary?
KH: Some of my goals as a BHS Luminary is to grow the in person and online support groups that I have started. I also hope to grow Hope for Alys diabetes education booths and find more healthy fairs in/around Kansas City to attend
BHS: Words of wisdom/encouraging statement/general statement about diabetes
KH: I want families to know that while this seems so overwhelming and scary right now there are people here that are living the same path that are here to help, listen, support, and be there for you through the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly. This disease is not always rainbows and glitter and we understand that, we get it, we know. The lights are always on, the doors are never closed, and our cell phones are always on no matter what time of day or night.
Please join us in welcoming Katrina to the BHS Family. If you live in Missouri and would like to get more information, you can Contact Katrina via email.
If you would like to become a BHS Luminary, you can fill out the Application HERE , or via the 'Luminaries' Tab at the top of the page
Katrina can also be found here:
~Blog: http://www.insulinprincess.blogspot.com/
~ Website: www.hopeforaly.weebly.com
~ Member of the Diabetes Advocates
~ Kansas City Chapter Luminary Leader of the Blue Heel Society
