The Diabetes Dude and more than 50 of his closest friends descended on NYC s Times Square with a “flock” of blue flamingos to raise awareness for diabetes, on Thursday, August 26. The Flamingo Flock diabetes-awareness campaign is the brainchild of 9-year-old Noah Brokmeier, "The Diabetes Dude" of Taunton, MA. Noah s blue flamingos are landing nationwide appearances at such events as the Today Show, the Boston Marathon and Bret Michaels concerts.
Wherever the blue flamingos go, they pose for pictures, which are then posted on Noah s website, www.thediabetesdude.com. The location of the birds is also flagged on his "official flamingo tracking map," to show the progress and growth of the campaign.
Starting in August, the Times Square Kodak videoboard has been displaying the photos of families affected by diabetes. The Diabetes Dude had asked families affected by diabetes to submit their photos to the videoboard, where the messages of hope, resilience and education reached millions of New Yorkers during the “Flocking.”
Kodak s "Smile Gallery," powered by Aerva s Pic2Screen application, allows people to email their photos to kodak@aerva.com with a caption and display it on the huge screen.
"When we were presented with the opportunity for submitting photos to Kodak for diabetes awareness, we were ecstatic," said Laura Houston of Plano, TX and mother of Nate, who has Type 1 diabetes. "Seeing Nate s picture on the Times Square Kodak Billboard was a special moment for our family filled with heartfelt emotion. As we reach Nate s one-year anniversary since his diabetes diagnosis, we are grateful for all the support we have received and for all the opportunities to spread the message of hope to others. Kodak helps make this happen."
To submit photos, send your photo to kodak@aerva.com with an optional caption in the subject line. Once Kodak approves the photo, you’ll receive an approval code. Using the code, you can then upload your photo on the Kodak LED screen up to six times within 30-day period.
"I d like to thank Kodak and Aerva for this great opportunity for helping me spread the message of hope to all those living with diabetes," said the Diabetes Dude. "What I m trying to do is get the word out about Type 1 diabetes and ways to treat it, because not many people understood it when I was diagnosed at age six.
“For me, a few things helped make a big difference — talking to other kids with diabetes, learning about diabetes with my family and using a cool, tubeless, insulin pump called the OmniPod," continued Noah. "It helps me be a normal kid and do important things, like raise diabetes awareness. My hope is that my Blue Flamingo Flock campaign will help young people who are diagnosed at an early age to have as much information as possible."
Aerva, a digital-signage technology pioneer, provides solutions that enable real-time interactivity between mobile applications and digital-display networks. Founded by MIT alumni, Aerva has developed the software technologies AerWave (for digital signage) and MoApp (for mobile applications), which are scalable platforms that have been driving many display networks in the U.S. and internationally since 2003. Visit www.aerva.com for more information.