Lynn landmark glows true blue

LYNN – Friday evening commuters got an unexpected surprise as they drove along the Lynnway.No, it wasn’t a State Police sobriety checkpoint. It was something more spectacular.With help from high-powered portable lights and specialized gel filters, the Clock Tower Business Center was literally turned blue, from its foundation to the peak of its clock-faced tower. The event was staged in support of World Diabetes Day, and blue was the agreed upon global color, just as pink is often used to symbolize the fight against breast cancer.The lighting ceremony was hatched by one of the building’s tenants, Multi-Cultural Home Care, which recently added diabetes care to its list of services.”Starting Dec. 1, we’re going to be doing home care with bilingual nurses who have been trained by a certified diabetes educator who was just hired to teach them,” said Charlene Ball-McKenzie, regional director of business development.The tower was lit from 4-8 p.m. About 50 Multi-Cultural Home Care employees participated in the worldwide event. They donned T-shirts emblazoned with World Diabetes Day on the back and their company name on the front. They finished off their ensembles with glowing blue necklaces and bracelets. While in the lobby, they hugged and formed a circle, the sign of unity among those working on the campaign of diabetes awareness.World Diabetes Day is a designated United Nations World Day, ever since Dec. 20, 2006, when the UN General Assembly passed a resolution that made it official in 2007.Celebrated globally, it brings together millions of people in more than 160 countries to raise awareness of diabetes, including children and adults affected by the debilitating disease, healthcare professionals and decision-makers, and the media.World Diabetes Day was introduced by the International Diabetes Foundation and the World Health Organization in 1991, in response to concern over the rise in diabetes cases worldwide.Nov. 14 was chosen as World Diabetes Day because it marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who, along with Charles Best, is credited with the discovery of insulin.For more about the event, go online to www.WorldDiabetesDay.org.The 2008 campaign resulted in the lighting blue of 1,107 monuments and buildings, as well as Niagara Falls. The goal for 2009 was to surpass that number.