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Assistant Managing Editor LONGMEADOW For the last consecutive 26 years Elliot Allen has been raising funds for the American Diabetes Association through their Step Out to Fight Diabetes walk. The labor of love has raised thousands of dollars toward a cure for the 20.8 million afflicted with the disease. Last year Allen and his troupe "Team Allen" raised $26,000, making Allen the top fund raiser for the last 10 years in New England. On Sept. 30 Team Allen will walk in memory of the late Tammy Jones, executive secretary of the Springfield Life Underwriters Association, and Attorney Earl Alpert. As the date approaches Team Allen is hoping to gain community support through donations. Allen is 84-years-old and said that he continues to receive letters from acquaintances who offer well wishes along with their donations. "I can't stop walking if someone's blessing me," he said. Allen has really turned Step Out to Fight Diabetes into a family event. In the last seven to eight years he said he has gotten most of his family involved in the walk in some capacity. In 2006 his then 12-year-old granddaughter Rachael, of Maryland, correlated fund raising with her Bat Mitzvah and managed to raise $400. His children, Brenda, David and Matthew, their spouses and his grandchildren have made the walk a sort of family reunion. Relatives from as far as Oregon also raise funds. It is not uncommon for old friends to contact Allen with their contributions as well. A past teacher in Middleborough, Mass., and even class reunions have resulted in additional donators. "I'm very grateful to people that contribute to this," Allen shared, explaining that he has close relatives living with diabetes. "[And] it's not too late to make a tax deductible contribution." The walk is also looking for volunteers to assist on the day of the event. Diabetes is the number one cause of blindness, amputations and kidney disease. The number of deaths annually due to diabetes is 224,000, while the medical-related costs have risen by 100 percent between 1997 and 2002. Anyone interested in making a contribution to Team Allen can send checks payable to the American Diabetes Association to Elliot Allen, 28 Deer Park Drive, P.O. Box 405, East Longmeadow, MA, 01028. | ||||||
