Walking with Dr. Banting

London Ontario Canada is recognised around the world as ‘The Birthplace of Insulin’. It was here on October 31, 1920 that Dr. Frederick Banting conceived the idea that lead to the discovery of insulin.  For the past four years, Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School, in partnership with the Canadian Diabetes Association and Banting House National Historic Site, has participated in the Global Diabetes Walk. 

To celebrate their school’s namesake, the Diabetes Club at the school organises a series of educational events and fundraising initiatives to help educate their schoolmates and raise funds for diabetes research.  The two-week campaign is topped off with Banting’s Global Diabetes Walk with the entire student body – over 1300 people. Banting, in its first two years, hosted the largest Global Diabetes Walk in North America. 

“While they are extremely proud of hosting the Walk, they are equally proud to say that they have raised in excess of $15 000 for diabetes research in the past 5 years,” says Walk coordinator Trevor McLellan. This year, the students have been challenged to have a clothing drive for Clothesline – a fundraising program of the Canadian Diabetes Association. Students have been challenged to bring in lightly worn clothing to donate to Clothesline. These donations are then sold to Value Village to raise funds for the Association.

The staff and students at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School exemplify the spirit of Sir Frederick Banting and are helping people around the world who are living with or at risk of developing diabetes through their education and fundraising initiatives.   

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