Special Event

He is an actor turned activist.

He is an American icon fighting one of America’s fastest growing diseases.

He doesn’t wear a red cape. Baby boomers will remember him solving life’s problems outfitted in his baseball cap and glove. It’s Beaver Cleaver, a.k.a. “the Beav”.

Former child star Jerry Mathers of “Leave It To Beaver” fame speaks from experience when warns about the potentially devastating effects of type 2 diabetes and he’s bringing his message to Richmond.

Mathers will visit on February 17 at a fundraiser for Fan Free Clinic-“From Actor to Activist: An Evening with Jerry Mathers”-at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

The numbers are staggering. According to the American Diabetes Association of Central Virginia, more than 3 million Virginians - or 39 percent - are affected by diabetes and pre-diabetes; and many of these individuals don’t yet know it.

The City of Richmond has the third highest diabetes prevalence in Virginia with about 12% of the community diagnosed with the disease.

Jerry Mathers is one of the leading lecturers on living with and dealing with diabetes. He has taken his message to Congress and on national news shows like “Larry King LIVE.”

“About 20% of the patients who are seen at Fan Free Clinic are type 2 diabetics,” says Karen Legato, executive director. “Most of them are baby boomers just like the Beav.”

“Type 2 Diabetes is an alarming health challenge. In lieu of a traditional fund raiser, we feel compelled to offer community education on the epidemic,” Legato says.

In addition to Mathers talk about his part in the Golden Age of television and his current battle with diabetes, the evening will feature a panel with Mathers, a prominent diabetes researcher and physician expert. The audience will be able to ask questions of the panelists.

“Leave It To Beaver” debuted in 1957 and was an immediate success. The show ran for six seasons, totaling 234 episodes. When it celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 4, 2007, the show became the longest running scripted show in television history.

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