The 5th Annual Gray Out was held at Fairbury Public Schools on December 4th during the Fairbury vs Superior boys and girls basketball games. This was the 3rd year that Fairbury has teamed up with Superior to raise awareness for Type 1 Diabetes.
The IN Group, a Type 1 Diabetic support group for students, parents and community members, kicks off the event by collecting sponsors. This year the group had 53 sponsors with a total of $1525 raised. The sponsor money will be used for diabetes camp scholarships and left over funds will be given to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) One Walk next September.
The group also sells gray t-shirts for the event. The proceeds from the t-shirt sales goes directly to JDRF. This year a check for $681 was presented to Laura Eberly, JDRF representative during halftime of the boys basketball game.
“JDRF is so grateful for the support of Fairbury and Superior’s students and communities that come together to raise awareness and funds for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) research,” stated Eberly. “The Annual Gray Out is an event that has been paving the way for other schools and communities in Nebraska and across the country getting them involved to make a difference in T1D’s lives.”
Eberly explained, “T1D is an autoimmune disease in which a person’s pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone our bodies require to stay alive. T1D can strike at any age and causes a lifelong dependence on injected or infused insulin. The disease carries the constant worry of life-threatening complications and requires intensive, ongoing supervision. There is no reprieve, there are no days off, and there is no cure.”
This year the Fairbury FCCLA tried something new, a 50/50 raffle with a twist. Two tickets were drawn during each varsity game halftime and each winner was given two chances to make a half court shot. During the boys halftime none of the 4 ticket holders were able to make the half court shot so they played a fast and furious game of knock-out. Austin Novotny won the game and generously gave his share to JDRF for them to receive 100% of the raffle.
“Because of Fairbury and Superior’s success with the Annual Gray Out we are getting closer to living in a world without T1D. Thank you so much for all your support!” added Eberly.
