Giving kids and teens hope their diabetes will be cured in a lifetime. Opus South’s Tampa office has been an exceptional partner this year in providing support and raising money to assist the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) towards this tremendous goal.

On April 19, nine Opus South Tampa team members (with family and friends) participated with thousands of other participants in a fantastic St. Petersburg 5K walk organized by JDRF’s Tampa Bay chapter. The Opus South team raised $3,735.00, including a generous Opus South match of $1,000. The Tampa Bay chapter and other JDRF organizations nationwide raise millions each year to help find a cure for this immune-system disorder affecting children and adults worldwide.

Opus South’s Paige Harper, who helped organize the Opus team, said, “A friend of mine was diagnosed with Type I diabetes when she was 50 years old. I’ve seen what she has to go through with insulin shots, a special diet and when her blood sugar gets too high or too low. I cannot imagine kids having to go through this regimen on a daily basis for their entire lives.” Paige, a project accountant in the Tampa office, said she is very grateful and proud of the tremendous support of Tampa team members and Opus South.

In addition to Paige, Opus South’s JDRF walk team members were Tampa’s Real Estate Assistant Vickey Knobblock; Office Manager Laura Coplon and husband Gerald; Sr. Service Coordinator Beth Wahl and boyfriend Terry; A/P Specialist Tawana Mobley, her husband Lace and two sons Lace II and D’Vaughn; A.P. Clerk Tammi White and kids Bill, Michael, Victoria and Mason; Stephen Douglas and girlfriend Jessica, Safety Manager Bob Berry and daughter Amanda; and Project Accountant Phyllis Hoffman-Wilson and kids Joshua, Sasha and Tyler.

“Not only does the JDRF contribute so much to the science of finding a cure, I am impressed it offers counseling and specific diabetes support for all ages,” said Vickey.  “One of the attributes I also admire most about Opus is my colleagues recognize and value the importance of family and relationships with loved ones.” This event, she said, brought relatives, co-workers and friends together to fight back against this terrible disorder.

Diabetes is the name given to types of disorders where the body has trouble regulating its blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels. Type 1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, destroys the pancreas’ insulin-producing cells protecting a body from viruses, bacteria or any "foreign" substances.  The Tampa Bay chapter said as many as 3 million Americans have the Type 1 disease.

“My family and I do a lot of volunteer work in the community, participating on this Opus JDRF team was a fantastic way to help do our part,” said Tawana. “Diabetes also runs in my extended family so we definitely have a personal connection to this great effort.” Kids, she said, do not deserve to be thinking about when their next insulin shot should happen.

Laura added, “A truly amazing event like this can show the strength of the human spirit.  We cannot underestimate the tremendous need to find diabetes’ cure for these children and adults who may only have a limited time to live.”