News

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alums Robert and Donna Plummer have committed to help Stop Diabetes® by assuming the roles of corporate recruitment chairs for the 2015 Metro East Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes event. The couple will host a corporate recruitment reception at the Holiday Inn Express in Edwardsville at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 29^, to enlist support from other area business leaders.

Robert Plummer is president, and Donna Plummer is vice president of R.P. Lumber Company. The Plummer’s graduated from SIUE and both went into teaching. However at the age of 25, Robert decided he wanted to start his own business and so the couple purchased an abandoned lumberyard in Staunton.

Donna, who was expecting at the time, continued to teach until after the birth of their first child. Then she joined the family business, too. Today, the R.P. Lumber Company consists of 57 lumberyards. The Plummers are also invested in shopping centers, hotels and office buildings, and develop real estate throughout the Metro East and beyond. They are committed to their communities and are proud to support many of the organizations in those communities.

“Diabetes is a serious disease that now affects over 29 million American children and adults. My own brother lost his life due to complications from diabetes,” said Robert Plummer.

“We are proud to be a part of the Stop Diabetes movement and support the American Diabetes Association in its mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all those affected by diabetes,” said Donna Plummer.

The Metro East Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes event is the signature, one-day fundraising and awareness event, benefiting the American Diabetes Association (ADA). “Every dollar that is raised through Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes plays an important role in supporting our mission,” said ADA Manager Rawnie Berry.

Today, there are over 29 million Americans—including over 50,000 in the Metro East who have diabetes. It is estimated that 21 million have been diagnosed, and 8 million people are unaware that they have the disease. If current trends continue, one in three American adults will have diabetes by 2050. 

Metro East Step Out: Walk participants include corporate, family, professional organization, school or church teams. Many walk as individuals or as members of Team Red, which embraces those who have diabetes and their family and friends. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise for people with diabetes and helps to control glucose levels. 

The 2015 Metro East Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes event, to be held in mid-September at SIUE, provides an opportunity for people come together for physical activity, free health screenings, and fun for the whole family.

To register or volunteer for the Metro East Step Out: Walk event please call 1-888-DIABETES or visit: www.diabetes.org/stepoutmetroeast .

The American Diabetes Association is leading the way to Stop Diabetes® and its deadly consequences and is fighting for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure, and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; and provides objective and credible information.