Students take action in fight against diabetes

When Liza Mardoyan, the nurse at Whittier Elementary School, asked students to contribute a dollar each to fight diabetes, she didn’t expect much more than that — until the packed envelopes started coming in.

Whittier, located in one of Costa Mesa’s poorest neighborhoods, held a walk on the playground Friday to raise funds for the American Diabetes Assn. Students rallied their parents, relatives and friends to donate more than $2,000, and even dipped into their own resources.

“Some of the kids emptied their piggy banks,” Mardoyan said.

The American Diabetes Assn. has sponsored the School Walk for Diabetes at a number of campuses over the last few years.

— Michael Miller