Rhea Kinnard, founder
The Dorothy Marie Kinnard Foundation (DMKF), an organization established to raise awareness on the escalating rise of diabetes among African Americans will present the ‘Power of Prevention: Diabetes Awareness Health Expo.’ The event will take place at the Cal Turner Family Center at Meharry Medical College located at 1011 21st Avenue North, Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday, November 16, from 10 am– 4 pm.
During the free event, the community is invited to take part in free health screenings, sample foods from healthy cooking demonstrations provided by Chef Batts, participate in exercise and fitness activities as well as other activities designed to raise awareness and create an exciting day of fun and education. Kids activities will also be available for parents interested in attending who have children.
One of the more educational events scheduled for the day include ‘Ask the Doctors’ panel discussion with some of the city’s leading medical experts on health moderated by six-time Emmy Award winner Vicki Yates of NewsChannel5.
According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 30 million people now have diabetes and nearly 90 million are at risk of developing it. Moreover, diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States and has come with a staggering cost of $327 billion annually and continues to climb as more people develop the disease. Diabetes is now one of the fastest-growing diseases among African Americans affecting youth, women and the elderly at disproportionate rates than any other ethnic group.
The mission of the Dorothy Marie Kinnard Foundation is to serve as a platform to raise awareness and spotlight problem-solving techniques designed to help African Americans better manage diabetes as well as help decrease the number of African Americans who are at risk of developing the disease.
“I am so excited to continue a legacy of giving through the foundation and would like to invite the entire Nashville community to come out and take part in a fun and worthwhile event,” said Rhea Kinnard, founder of the organization.” Because diabetes continues to increase especially among African Americans, the foundation is committed to raising awareness to help combat the escalating rise of this debilitating disease.”
The Dorothy Marie Kinnard Foundation is a partner with the American Diabetes Association and works to spread awareness through its African American outreach initiatives. This year’s event sponsors include HCA Healthcare/TriStar Health, The Vein Guys, Tennessee Retina, Meharry Medical College among others.
The event is free and open to the public for a day of education, fun and more. For more information regarding the upcoming event, visit <www.dorothymariekinnardfoundation.org> or <www.dmkf.org>.
