Rebel Yell: Twins Named Most Caring Americans

Mollie (left) and Jackie Singer’s work with diabetes awareness earned them the “Most Caring American Award” from the National Caring Institute.

BY NATALIE LOMBARDO

The Rebel Yell Two UNLV Honors College students have been selected as the 2007 “Most Caring Americans.” At age 18, twins Mollie and Jackie Singer were two out of the six young people in the country to receive this award. The two will be inducted into the “Hall of Fame for Caring Americans” on Nov. 15 at the Frederick Douglass Museum & Hall of Fame, for Caring Americans on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. Mollie Singer, who was diagnosed with diabetes when she was four, has been cared for and supported by her sister Jackie Singer. The two girls have completed numerous outstanding efforts to help those with diabetes and to help those without it to have a better understanding of the disease. The girls said they focus on three main areas which are fundraising, mentoring and advocating. For the fundraising aspect, the girls created a walk team for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a Walk to Cure Diabetes. The girls’ walk team is called Mollie’s Mafia and employs a Godfather-styled slogan of “Give us a cure we can’t refuse.” The twins have also raised over $500,000 with other various fundraisers. Through mentoring they created the first chapter of Diabetic Angels which was to help their friends better understand what diabetes is. “We taught them how Mollie tests her blood sugar,” Jackie Singer said. “And basically how Mollie lives with diabetes day to day, what to do in emergencies and why she takes shots.” The girls created a video diary for “Good Morning America” to show young kids that people can go on with their normal lives with diabetes by showing them what Mollie Singer does to maintain her diabetes. Another aspect of the girls’ efforts is advocating on behalf of Juvenile Diabetes Research, which included testifying at Congress and Senate hearings to lobby for more funding for Juvenile Diabetes Research. They said they even asked President Bush to increase funding for the cause. It is because of the girls’ outstanding efforts that they were announced two of the six 2007 National Caring Award Young Adult Winners by the Caring Institute. “We are really looking forward to the ceremony,” Jackie Singer said. “And we are so honored to be apart of this.” The ceremony starts with a cocktail party on Nov. 15 at the Frederick Douglass Museum. It follows with a press conference the next day, a luncheon and then that night there is the black tie affair, which the twins are very excited about. “It is going to be wonderful meeting the different people and getting to spend time with them,” Mollie Singer said. The Caring Institute was founded in 1985 by Val Halamandaris to honor those special individuals who devote their lives to helping others. This institute emphasizes the message that people can make a difference. This institute has been recognizing the efforts of young adults, such as Mollie and Jackie Singer, since 1990 because it is more likely that young adults will be inspired by the accomplishments of their peers. For more information on the Caring Institute visit caringinstitute.org.

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