Letters to the Editor for Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017

Legislators: Nevadans are relying on Special Diabetes Program

I urge Nevada’s legislators to renew the Special Diabetes Program, historically bipartisan federal funding that is vital to finding a cure.

On March 21, 2016, my bike-riding, skiing, lacrosse-playing 12-year-old son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at Renown. No family history, no fast food habit, no reason at all. The PICU doctor told him, “You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t eat too many Oreos. It just happened.” T1D can strike anyone, anytime.

My son is currently in two clinical trials. He’s endured countless needles and painful side effects. This research has also (thankfully) improved his health outcomes and given us hope we can beat this relentless disease.

Type 1 Diabetes, an autoimmune disease, is on the rise, as is the more-prevalent Type 2 Diabetes. These insulin-requiring diseases will raise future health care costs, insurance premiums, and taxes for everyone without more research and a cure. The 280,000 Nevadans with diabetes are counting on this program. Please renew SDP.

Laura Brigham

Reno

Reciting Pledge of Allegiance daily is redundant

How many times is it necessary to pledge the allegiance? When I joined the military, I pledged allegiance to the USA. That pledge was for a lifetime. Do I have to renew that pledge? The Carson City Senior Center seems to think I do.

Every day that they serve lunch the entire group of seniors must stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance. This seems to indicate that their pledge is only trusted for one day. It is insulting to me. And I would guess it is also insulting to many of the other seniors. Some arrive late just to avoid the insult. Some struggle to stand, but are reluctant not to. Is this pledge necessary?

Bud Irving

Carson City

A case for forming a community foundation in Douglas County

As a professional in philanthropy, I spend most of my day learning about and communicating with nonprofits the world over. These organizations do an incredible amount of good. Often the only thing preventing them doing more is funding.

Charities need quality employees, equipment, and facilities. Sometimes they take on projects that require an increase to their budget. While national charities have resources to obtain extra support, our smaller, local charities are limited. They might have only one or two staff that, although they excel at their mission, lack the necessary marketing skills to carry out effective fundraising campaigns. This is where a Community Foundation can step in.

Local residents, as members of the Advisory Board of a Community Foundation, are the perfect advocates for local nonprofits. The role involves fundraising both locally and beyond to grow a lasting endowment for Douglas County.

An effective Board should be a group of well-connected, financially savvy, and philanthropically-minded individuals from a range of backgrounds. The endowment this board will be raising will not be spent directly, but will be invested by professionals with the earned interest made available. While no one knows what problems the future holds, by the time the endowment is large enough to start making distributions, they will be self-evident. An engaged, invested and diverse Advisory Board will be the best entity to help direct funding when the time comes.

On Nov. 1, the Leadership Douglas County class of 2017 will host Chris Askin, president of the Community Foundation of Western Nevada, for a meeting to explore this concept further. If you are interested, please join us at the Community Center on Waterloo from 6 to 8 p.m.

Nick Hinkell

Gardnerville