Amaranth Diabetes Research Found

Your body needs energy for everything you do, from running to sleeping. Diabetes affects the way your body turns food into energy. Normally, your body converts sugars, starches and other foods you eat into "fuel." With diabetes, something goes wrong with this process. This affects all parts of the body. It can lead to blindness, heart disease, kidney failure, nerve and blood vessel damage.

Diabetes is a serious health problem. It affects nearly 17 million Americans. One third of them don't even know they have it. And - there is no cure.

In the five minutes it will take you to read these pages, seven people in the United States will learn they have diabetes. This is approximately 2,200 people a day. It is estimated that one half of all diabetes cases occur in people older than 55 years of age. And, with its complications, diabetes is truly one of the worst diseases of our time.

Type 1 diabetes - Results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It is estimated that 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes - Results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency. Approximately 90-95% (16 million) have type 2 diabetes.

Pre-diabetes - Pre-diabetes is a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that at least 16 million Americans have pre-diabetes, in addition to the 17 million with diabetes.

Amaranth Connection to Diabetes
How the Order of the Amaranth Helps Fight Diabetes

All the members of the Amaranth are aware of the "age-old" concept, that "That Charity is truest and noblest which treads in silence and secrecy all of its ways, not letting the left hand know what the right hand doeth." To this end, the Order founded the AMARANTH DIABETES FOUNDATION, INC. to raise funds for diabetes research. All money raised is passed directly to the American Diabetes Association for specific research projects. No overhead charges are applied by the AMARANTH DIABETES FOUNDATION, INC.

The Foundation was started by Past Supreme Royal Matron, Honored Lady Marie Waters, of Connecticut. It was her goal to give the Order a specific charity with which it could be associated and work for throughout the year. At the Supreme Assembly of 1979 the Supreme Council adopted the AMARANTH DIABETES FOUNDATION, INC. and established an irrevocable Trust Fund for the purpose of using one voluntary charity project. ALL Members of the Order are automatically members of this Foundation.

This action was discussed and finally taken after several years of legal research on the establishment of such a single voluntary charitable project. It being the belief that by so doing the Order would obtain greater recognition for its charitable efforts and donations. Each Subordinate Court and Grand Court was encouraged to continue to support, additionally, local and national organizations or charities of their choice.

The Order of the Amaranth is a fraternal organization composed of Master Mason and their female relatives.

In 1979, the Amaranth Diabetes Foundation was formally adopted and diabetes became the primary philanthropic project through which the Order of the Amaranth works for the betterment of mankind. The Order of the Amaranth has mobilized the efforts of its membership to prevent and cure diabetes and to help improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Thanks to the dedicated support of our members worldwide we have raised over $7.5 million in the fight against diabetes.

Funds raised by the Order of the Amaranth support diabetes research through the Amaranth Diabetes Foundation. The American Diabetes Association reviews and selects the research scientists to be funded. Through this peer reviewed system, contributors are assured that their gifts support the most important diabetes research and that the research results are shared throughout the scientific community.

In the years of 2002 and 2003, Supreme Council Order of the Amaranth had milestone years. They gave donations of $554,000 and $514,000 respectively. This allowed ADA to award 5 research grants to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Georgetown University Medical Center, University of Iowa, Washington University School of Medicine, and the University of Washington & VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

The ADA presented the Supreme Council Order of the Amaranth the "Charles H. Best" Medal in 1996 for distinguished service in fight to find a cure for diabetes. Supreme Royal Matron, Honored Lady Sara Ann Seibert and Supreme Royal Patron, Sir Knight Richard D. "Ned" Kelly were honored to accept the award on the behalf of Supreme Council.

As a 501-C3 organization, all contributions given to the Amaranth Diabetes Foundation (ADF), Inc. are tax deductible. Methods of contributing to ADF include bequests, memorials, and direct giving. Again, 100% of your donations go directly to research. No administrative fees are deducted from any contributions. We are available to answer questions and assist with your pledge of support to find a cure for diabetes. Our South Carolina Diabetes Coordinator is: