Pickleball tournament raises money for diabetes awareness

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The inaugural ‘Dinkin’ for Diabetes’ fundraiser tournament was held at The Pickle Jar in Jackson Saturday.

“It’s such a fast-growing and fun sport, and everyone loves playing,” said Donna Cromeans, the event organizer for Dinkin’ for Diabetes. “[My favorite part was] just watching everybody have fun and sharing the love of this game that has taken us all by storm.”

The event raised money for the Diabetes Solutions and Wellness Center in Canton and featured groups for kids, men, women, and mixed teams, as well as a media competition that included members of the WLBT team.

“The funds that we raise today will go towards helping me educate the people of Mississippi about diabetes,” said Shelia Spann, who runs the Diabetes Solutions and Wellness Center. “In Mississippi, we have the second highest rate of diabetes. Most of the time, people who have diabetes have had it for years, they just don’t understand it. So, this just gives me more opportunity to get out there, I go to different communities, libraries, health fairs, I even have my own clinic in Canton where they can come talk to me about nutrition, taking their medication, even checking their blood sugar, just how important it is. Diabetes does not kill you, you just have to manage it.”

The ease of pickleball was a great starter to get people in the door for the event, and it raised money for an important cause in Mississippi.

“I’m a type 2 diabetic myself, and I control mine a lot with diet, exercise, and medication,” Cromeans said. “Exercise is one of the most important things to helping to maintain and control your diabetes. So, it’s very important that we get the word out, and people learn how to control their diabetes.”

“I have a passion for diabetes. I want the people of Mississippi to be top notch in their health, because your health is your wealth,” Spann said. “If you can get up in the morning and put your own clothes on and drive yourself to work, that’s a blessing, but some people don’t have that opportunity. So, that’s my job, to find those areas of people that can’t get to my place, but I can go to them.”

Cromeans and Spann hope, based on the success of this year’s event, the fundraiser will be an annual event.

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