Welcome. Here is your ticket to enter a fabulous world. I am absolutely exhausted. I am absolutely exhilarated. I am absolutely thrilled. For the past few months, we Suffolk County LIONs Diabetes Education Foundation members have been working on a project to raise money to do what we do to help people with diabetes.
Yesterday we held our inaugural Dancing for Diabetes at the beautiful Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts. 
The brain child of LION Frank Compoccio was to have Dance Schools perform all day long in groups of around five schools each, that way we would have dancers all day long. Interesting concept; would it work?
Well it worked indeed and over 25 schools participated along with 600 dancers of every age from 8 on up. Fabulous. These dancers were as good as you can get and as professional as one could hope. They volunteered their time; they danced; their parents donated and over a thousand people came. Over $22,000 was raised from the event—-JUST FABULOUS.
They sold tickets and when that was not enough they donated checks from their own school as pictured here.
As a parent of two children with diabetes, I was so moved by the professionalism, the spirit, and the willingness to help by all of the attendees.
Frank knew so many people in the ‘business of dance’ and they all volunteered their time. For my loved ones with diabetes, and for yours. JUST Amazing. Frank was fabulous.
Frank gave plaques to every school and certificates to every dancer….he said he wanted
this event to be run professionally and it was. Here he thanks his fabulous crew who all volunteered for over 12 hours on the day of the event….so much more preparing
We do what we do for our loved ones because we do. People who do not have that personal connection and their love and support; well that will humble us to our knees. Enjoy seeing how so many helped our loved ones.
Thank you to everyone who helped and participate; the Dance Schools, the parents, those WONDERFUL DANCERS, and the Suffolk County LIONs Diabetes Education Foundation. On this day you made a difference and we, the DIabetes Community thank you from the bottom of our grateful hearts.
Enjoy some GREAT shots of the day.
These young ladies performed an incredibly moving
tribute to our fallen firemen
Very unique tribute to ‘a few elders’.
Faces of young dancers ready to go!!!!
They were as graceful…………
As they were
dedicated to helping those with diabetes.
So many Volunteered their time.
And they kept dancing, and dancing.
Thank you all.
I am a GRATEFUL Diabetes dad.
15 replies on “PLEASE Let These Wonderful People Know How Grateful we, as a Diabetes Community, are for their Efforts!!!!!!!”
Thank you so much for this. My daughter, Maggie, who is 8, is a dancer and has type 1. We sometimes have to do some crazy things so her BG is in control for her to dance, but she loves it. And she loves that there was an enitre day of dance, dedicated to daibetes.
Emily I learned alot as there were dancers participating who had diabetes and I was moved by their due diligence but more moved by how much these kids wanted to just dance…..which I am sure Maggie is as well. Thanks for writing.
I am touched by their dedication & service to our cause. Big THANK YOU from our home!
Thank you Sam—-I will pass along your words.
Many thanks from a twenty-five-year veteran of Type 1! It always means so much to me when people care about a cure.
Your thanks will be shared and thank you for your words.
Regards.
Wow- that must have taken a lot of organising, hard work and dedication.
It must have been wonderful to have been involved with and such an amazing amount of money raised. Hope you all had fun. Thank you!!
As a dancer and mother of a t1, and good friend of an amazing ballerina that has t1, I am moved beyond words. I would love to do something like this in Atlanta! A huge thank you to all of the volunteers and my comrades in pointe shoes!
Oh Lauren—
Your reply was magnificient—–thank you so much.
Any time you want to discuss—just email me at tkarlya@drif.org
I am very proud to have had my daughter take part in this wonderful event as I lost my mother and many members of my family to diabetes.
Sorry about your lose and we were thrilled to have your daughter as well….what a magical afternoon.
I am the director Of Backstage Studio of Dance and my Dance Team was one of the troupes performing. We were all so happy to be dancing for such a worthy cause. This was a very smart idea of Franks because who doesn’t love dance. I’m glad we could help in some small way. Looking forward to raising more funds next year. Gwenn
Thank Gwenn—you had teh place hopp’n with This Joint is Jumpin and your other numbers were great as well—tell Chris and Emilee they bought the house down with theur duet—-all so fabulous. Thanks again to your whole troupe.
Dearest Tom,
As a person with both type one and type two diabetes, I know your and your children’s struggles all to well, That is why is was such an honor for myself and my dancers to participate in this amazing community event. It is so important that we as a community show that you do not have to just survive living with diabetes, but you can celebrate life and beat it through education, awareness and in many cases prevention. Maybe our fight is to be a shining example of what really living can be an that a diagnosis does not define us. May your family, your self and our amazing community be blessed and we at Tribal Dance Long Island look forward to celebrating life with the Lions at Future fundraisers!!
Carpe Diem and bright Blessings,
Cienna Rizza
Director
Tribal Dance Long Island
Caravan Connection NY
Thank you all