Sep. 17--During the past year, Katelyn Johnson has been an advocate for a condition she doesn't even have.
The 16-year-old junior's efforts began last year, when she organized a fundraiser walk for the American Diabetes Association at Gig Harbor High. She raised about $2,000.
Her work didn't stop there, as Katelyn raised another $4,000 in the following months through various events, everything from helping with black-tie benefit galas to soliciting donations at local stores.
Overall, she estimates she's logged at least 500 hours during the last year helping the ADA.
Katelyn's also been honored for her work, receiving the Violet Richardson Award from the Soroptimist group for her volunteer service. She was also named one of the ADA's 12 teen advocates in Washington state.
On Oct. 11, she is leading a team of about 30 people who will participate in the Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes fundraiser at Point Defiance Park. Her goal is to raise $5,000.
Tonya Bosch, Katelyn's mom and nurse for the Olympia School District, said her daughter has done a lot to fight for people with diabetes, but it isn't to simply pad her high school resume.
Katelyn's inspiration is one of Bosch's former students living with diabetes -- Stacia Adderley -- who's also a close family friend.
Katelyn observed how Stacia, who's now in sixth grade, would have to watch what she ate and take late-night insulin shots. "Seeing a 10-year-old go through that with a smile on her face, it makes the stuff and the drama people go through seem like nothing," Katelyn told The News Tribune last year.
Aside from volunteering in the Northwest, Katelyn joined other ADA members in Washington, D.C., to lobby Congress to help fund more diabetic research and prevention efforts in May.
Bosch says it's hard to capture exactly how proud she is of her daughter's efforts of the past year. "She gets nothing from it other than to feel good about herself and Stacia."
To find out more about Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes at Point Defiance Park, visit www.diabetes.org/stepout. Select "Washington" on the pull-down menu and click on "Tacoma."
Brent Champaco: 253-597-8653 To see more of The News Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.TheNewsTribune.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2008 The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.