Kevin Shannon Foundation News

Because There's Hope

How better to make a difference than by helping children? When children are diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, they have to alter every part of their lives -- from eating, sleeping and exercising to learning to administer daily injections. As a diabetic himself, Kevin Shannon would have wanted to help children cope with this disease and, as important, to find a cure. That's why, for the past three years, the Kevin Shannon Foundation has donated 12 Bags of Hope to newly diagnosed kids with diabetes at the LaRabida Children's Hospital and Research Center.

The Bags of Hope, created by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, are a way to reach out to children with diabetes at the time of diagnosis and help them cope with this deceptively nasty disease. The bag contains both educational and comforting items such as the JDRF Kids "Have Hope" video , Rufus (for boys) or Ruby (for girls), the bear with diabetes and books, such as "Taking Diabetes to School ," "The Kids, Food & Family Cookbook ," and "Parenting a Child With Diabetes."

The Chicago Children's Diabetes Center at LaRabida Children's Hospital and Research Center offers medical evaluation and consultation, individualized, age-appropriate patient and family instruction, personalized nutritional counseling, a progressive diabetes management approach, intensive insulin therapy and ongoing assessment, panning and intervention.

Kevin knew that living with juvenile diabetes is not easy, but it is manageable. Through this gift, the KSF can help children and their families through this difficult transition period...and make a difference.

Making Scholarships Available to Those in Need

For many people, a quality education is the cornerstone of a good life. But what if you don't have the resources or can't afford it? The Kevin Shannon Foundation is committed to making scholarships available to those deserving and in-need students. Promoting education for young people is one of its major goals.

To make education more accessible to more young people, the KSF has been a proud supporter of Marist High School and the Beverly Hills University Scholarship Foundation. For the past few years, the KSF has contributed tuition assistance for students-in-need.

In 2004 the KSF began awarding annual college scholarships.  More details can be found at 2005 Kevin Shannon Foundation Scholarship.

Education for young people, research and education on diabetes and local schools are the primary tenants of the foundation. We are always interested in contributing to those organizations of interest to our supporters. If you have an organization which might fit our criteria, please call Jim Tyree at 312-595-6090 or Don Shannon at 847-325-1000.