Magic to Do in the Magic City

Beth Kitchin and Ben Vereen

                Ben Vereen worked magic in the Magic City Thursday night. Mr. Vereen, as you probably know, is an awarding winning actor, dancer, singer of stage and screen. He also has diabetes. He was here Thursday to speak at the kickoff event for Cities for Life - a grassroots diabetes awareness and management program designed to fight diabetes in our community. In a country where diabetes is running rampant, Alabama has one of the highest rates.  That’s one of the reasons  Birmingham was chosen out of more than 50 cities by the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation for this pilot program.  But the other reason Birmingham was chosen is that our city has tremendous resources. Not only are we home to the University of Alabama at Birmingham – one of the best medical research and teaching  universities in the country –  we are also a community with tremendous unity and commitment among our citizens.  They don’t call us “the Magic City” for nothing! 

                At the kickoff Thursday night, there were doctors, researchers, community organizers and activists, directors of non-profits, and many, many others all with one thing in common: we care about our community.  And when Ben Vereen spoke, he ignited the room with his passion for fighting diabetes. He ended his call to action with a beautiful rendition of The Impossible Dream that brought us to our feet. 

                So as Mr. Vereen sang  in Pippin: “Join us, leave your fields to flower, join us, leave your cheese to sour . . . We’ve got magic to do, just for you. We’ve got miracle plays to play”. 

So join us at www.aafpfoundation.org/cities for life  because we’ve got magic to do. 

Beth Kitchin, PhD, RD
Assistant Professor
UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences