Mangs Show They're Not Just About Bicycling

Mangs and Alings at the kitchen preparing for the evening

On Friday, April 24, the Mangs and Alings sponsored an event entitled Dinner Dance Against Diabetes to benefit the American Diabetes Association.  Planned by a crack team of Mangs, Alings and their friends under the leadership of Mang Rene and the support of others in the community, the event went off with a few glitches - but none that would derail it from its purpose: to raise awareness of the effects of Diabetes and to raise funds for the organization whose mission it is to find a cure for it.  The team works with the Tour de Cure, a bicycling event that raises funds for the ADA.

Dinner was served on time even as more people were still showing up.  In the meantime, Mang Joe and Mang Eric kept on selling raffle tickets for prizes valued anywhere from $25 (gift cards) to $300 (a carbon handlebar).  There was all manner of fun stuff valued in between (restaurant gift cards, gift baskets, special liquor, even a 12th Man jersey).  Every time a raffle took place, you felt the anticipation from everyone.  Even for the non-winners, it was a great time.

Angela Hill from Tour de Cure
shared her story

After dinner, Angela Hill, the event coordinator for Tour de Cure shared her story and how the Tour de Cure has meant a lot to her.  Our fellow cyclist, Leila, also shared her story about how she is dealing with the disease.  The speakers concluded with Louisa, one of our Alings.  All speakers highlighted the importance of educating ourselves about the issue and thanking the evening's participants for their support.

One of the highlights of the evening was the Dessert Dash where guests got to bid indirectly for their desserts, or rather their placement in the hierarchy of who gets to choose first.  After a few minutes of dashing to their chosen desserts, everyone settled in for their sweets.

Mang Rene takes on the lead
even on the dance floor!

We spent the last couple of hours of the evening dancing and just enjoying each other's company.  As with every Mang get together, everyone had a blast.  Laughter permeated the room.  The evening ended around 11 but most of the team stayed to clean up and get the community center back in order.

Our team would like to thank all our sponsors who provided the food - Gianfranco Italian at Snoqualmie, Inay's Kitchen in Seattle and FilCuisine in Kent.  Several donors both from within and outside the team also contributed prizes for the raffle and we're grateful to them as well.  Our event would not have been successful without their support.

Cycling is fun, but helping people through a cause like Preventing Diabetes is even more fulfilling - hopefully by riding our bikes and doing events like this, people are inspired to put more emphasis on exercise and having a good time while doing it. Go team!