Milestones

DIABETES PROGRAM AT WAKEMED WINS NATIONAL HONOR

WakeMed Health & Hospitals' Children's Diabetes ENERGIZE! program has received the NOVA Award from the American Hospital Association.

The award is given annually to four to six collaborative hospital-led programs that improve community health by extending help to low-income, uninsured or underserved children and adults, the chronically ill, and racial and ethnic minorities. The diabetes program teaches at-risk children ages 6 to 18 how to build lifelong, healthy attitudes about food and fitness. Children are eligible for the program if they have elevated blood glucose levels or metabolic syndrome, indicating high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. They participate in a 12-week, three-night-a-week, community-based intensive education and lifestyle change program with lessons in nutrition, physical fitness, and behavior change. To date, more than 500 children have completed the program. The program is funded by WakeMed Health & Hospitals, the John Rex Endowment, and the Duke Endowment. It is free for participants.

IRISH DANCERS COMPETED IN NASHVILLE

Irish dancers with Raleigh's Inis Cairde School of Irish Dance competed at the North American Irish Dance Championships, one of the world's largest Irish dance competitions, in Nashville, Tenn., during the Fourth of July weekend. Thirteen dancers, under the instruction of Meighan Carpenter, were among more than 3,000 dancers competing from all over the world.

Emily Whitfield, a student at Panther Creek High School, placed 62nd of 133 dancers in her age group.

RALEIGH STUDENT IS NATIONAL YOUTH SCHOLAR

Justin McWilliams, a fifth-grader at Brassfield Elementary School in North Raleigh, was selected to participate in the National Youth Scholars Program at Wake Forest University this summer. The program, sponsored by the National Center for Early Academic Excellence, aims to inspire high-achieving elementary school students to explore, invent, learn and think creatively. Justin's curriculum focused on leadership and crime scene investigations.

He is the son of Karen and Timothy McWilliams.