Detroit Runners Head to Hawaii for Diabetes Association

    BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.--June 17, 2003--Nineteen runners and walkers from Michigan will be in Hawaii this coming weekend to raise funds and awareness for the Michigan Office of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
    The local runners have received pledges for more than $4,500 for diabetes research, education and programs. They will be joined by almost 400 TEAM Diabetes participants from around the United States for the 10th annual Kona Marathon in Hawaii on Sunday, June 22.
    Mary Riegle, Area Director for the American Diabetes Association in Southeastern Michigan, said she expects local pledges for the Kona Marathon to total more than $90,000. These funds will help support local programs and services, including the ADA's Camp Midicha, Michigan's only residential summer camp designed for and dedicated to children with diabetes.
    AutoCom Associates, a Bloomfield Hills based public relations agency has set a $5,000 target for its share of the campaign. In less than two weeks, the firm has received more than $3,000 in pledges from its business partners and clients.
    Larry Weis, AutoCom's president, will be one of the Detroit-area runners in Hawaii this weekend. The race marks a personal milestone for Weis, who will be running in his 50th marathon since taking up the sport 20 years ago.
    "Rather than throw myself a party, I decided to dedicate this particular race to a worthwhile charity," he said. "More than 17 million people in the United States today suffer from diabetes and two out of three of those people will die of heart disease or stroke. We hope efforts such as this will make a difference."
    Other Michigan-area participants making the trip to Hawaii include: Jay and Maureen Berger of Traverse City, Sue Berger of Huntington Woods, Dr. Ray Breitenbach and his son Scott of Waterford, Barb Coulter of Farmington Hills, Dan Dwyer of Royal Oak, Mary Freiman of Ann Arbor, Sharon Gibson of Ferndale, Katie Kelel of Kalamazoo, Leslie Kilgore of Southfield, Heather Myers of Clinton Twp., James Posuniak of Pinckney, Schelli Rothi of Grandville, Kim Seltz of Detroit, Cheryl Tannas of Harrison Twp., Anna Vanderstelt of Charlotte, and Jane Westley of Oxford.
    Donations for the TEAM Diabetes Kona Marathon program can be made through Monday, June 30, 2003. Checks should be made payable to the American Diabetes Association and can be sent to AutoCom Associates, 74 W. Long Lake Road, Suite 103, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304.
    In addition to its support for the American Diabetes Association, AutoCom annually provides more than $25,000 in contributions and pro bono services to local charities and cultural organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan and the Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra.
    Information about the Kona Marathon program is available by contacting Jan Krol at AutoCom by phone (248.647.8621) or e-mail (jkrol@usautocom.com).