Bands to raise funds in St. Charles for diabetes research

Chicago band Ovrevolt is hosting a fundraiser from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, May 6, at Real Time Sports Bar, 584 Randall Road in St. Charles.

Ovrevolt (pronounced Over-volt) will donate 100 percent of all profits to charity. Drummer Gary Kouba came up with the idea of doing a large-scale fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Real Time Sports will provide free pizza, and all bands are donating their time. The lineup is Friction, Ovrevolt, AVM band and Skin Walker. The event is open to all ages; teens are welcome.

More than 3 million Americans have Type 1 diabetes, and more than 30,000 people are newly diagnosed each year. Diabetes is the single greatest expense on our health care system. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects every organ. People with Type 1 face many challenges, including possible long-term effects like kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness and amputations.

Type 1 is not caused by obesity or consuming too much sugar and a person cannot outgrow Type 1 diabetes. Insulin injections are necessary to keep Type 1 diabetics alive; however, insulin does not cure diabetes nor does it prevent its complications.

Since the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation was founded in 1970, it has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research. More than 85 percent of its expenditures directly support research and research related education. It’s the leading charitable funder and advocate for Type 1 diabetes worldwide.

If you cannot attend the fundraiser May 6, you are encouraged to send a check, payable to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, to Gary Kouba, 255 Heritage Drive, Roselle, IL 60172. You will get a tax receipt for a deduction on your income tax for donations.

For details, visit freedomfrominsulin.org.