WICHITA, Kan., April 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mayor Jeff Longwell proclaimed Friday, April 15 "Cooper Day" this morning in support of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The ADA, Meritrust Credit Union and Spirit AeroSystems are partnering with Greg "The Hitman" Williams of Power 93.5 to celebrate Cooper Day in anticipation of the 25^th anniversary Tour de Cure event. Wichita will ride with 5-year-old Cooper to raise money for the ADA at the Tour de Cure event Saturday, April 30. Cooper was diagnosed at eight months old as the youngest known case of type 1 diabetes in Kansas.

To celebrate Cooper Day, Power 93.5 will change its name to Cooper 93.5 Friday, April 15. The station will feature interviews with Cooper, Mayor Longwell, Meritrust President and CEO James Nastars, Spirit AeroSystems President and CEO Larry Lawson and other Tour de Cure representatives 7 – 9 a.m. Friday morning.

"Power 93.5 and the Entercom Wichita radio family proudly supports the Tour De Cure and the fight against diabetes," said Greg "The Hitman" Wiliams of Power 93.5. "I felt like we needed to do something innovative and bold to make a huge statement about diabetes as someone new is diagnosed with diabetes every 20 seconds. Cooper is an amazing 5-year-old child who lives with diabetes everyday. We're celebrating him by doing something that has never been done in Kansas. At 7 a.m. Friday April 15, Power 93.5 will become Cooper 93.5 for a day."

Meritrust Credit Union, Spirit AeroSystems and other sponsors will celebrate Cooper Day with Cooper t-shirts, team photos and social media campaigns. Show your support for Cooper and the ADA by posting using #RideWithCooper, #WhyIRide or #TourDeCureICT.

The Wichita community has recruited over 500 riders and walkers for the 2016 event, and participants have already raised over $400,000 to benefit the ADA. Funds raised at the Tour de Cure event support diabetes research, advocacy and education, as well as provide summer camp programs for hundreds of children in Wichita and throughout Kansas. ADA's day camp, Camp Sweet Betes, and its residential camp, Camp Discovery, educate youth affected by diabetes while offering them a traditional summer camp experience. Cooper plans to attend Camp Sweet Betes this summer.

On the web: http://www.diabetes.org/, https://www.meritrustcu.org/ and http://www.spiritaero.com/

On Twitter: @ict_tourdecure, @meritrustcu, @SpiritAero, @935wichita, @Entercom

#TourDeCureICT, #RideWithCooper, #WhyIRide

About American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the American Diabetes Association conducts programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, reaching hundreds of communities. 

About Meritrust. 
Meritrust Credit Union is the leading and largest Kansas-chartered community credit union with 84,000 members and $1.148 billion in assets. Meritrust is open to the public with 15 branches in metro-Wichita, Junction City, Lawrence and Manhattan, Kansas. In 2012, Meritrust was ranked third in the nation in the Callahan & Associates Return of the Member Index and was recognized by SNL Financial as one of the top 20 best performing credit unions in the nation, among credit unions with total assets of more than $500 million. With a mission of improving the lives of members and the communities it serves, Meritrust offers members the products, services and tools they need to achieve their financial goals with confidence. For more information, visit meritrustcu.org.

About Spirit AeroSystems Inc.
Spirit AeroSystems designs and builds aerostructures for both commercial and defense customers. With headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Spirit operates sites in the U.S., U.K., France and Malaysia. The company's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components for the world's premier aircraft. Spirit AeroSystems focuses on affordable, innovative composite and aluminum manufacturing solutions to support customers around the globe. More information is available at www.SpiritAero.com.

About Big Time Grain Company 
Big Time Grain Company is a Midwest country band performing at the Tour de Cure event. Big Time Grain Co. has opened for Big & Rich, Restless Heart, Brother's Osborne, Chase Bryant, Mark Wills, Gary Allan and more. Learn more at www.bigtimegrain.com.

About Entercom 
Entercom Communications Corp., led by President and CEO David Field, is one of the largest radio broadcasting companies in the United States, with a nationwide portfolio of over 100 stations in 23 markets, including San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Denver, Portland, Sacramento and Kansas City.

Known for developing unique and highly successful locally programmed stations, Entercom is home to some of radio's most distinguished brands and compelling personalities. The company is also the radio broadcast partner of the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Kansas City Royals, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Hornets, Oakland Athletics and San Jose Sharks.

Entercom focuses on creating effective multi-platform marketing solutions for its customers, incorporating the company's audio, digital and experiential assets. Additionally, the company has a long-standing commitment to responsible corporate citizenship and environmental stewardship. Entercom stations play a vital, hands-on role in improving their communities, providing over $100 million in annual support for local charitable organizations.

The company's radio stations have received numerous awards, including multiple Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism, as well as the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Marconi Award for excellence in radio broadcasting.  In 2012, Entercom was named by Information Week as one of the Top 500 Technology Innovators in the United States.

SOURCE American Diabetes Association

Related Links

http://www.diabetes.org