LOUISIANA DIABETES FOUNDATION - Our History Approximately 40 years ago (c. 1971), a number of individuals known to be interested in aiding diabetics and their families in Louisiana were invited by business executive Sam Gallo to an organizational meeting held at his home in Baton Rouge. That meeting resulted in the legal formation of the Louisiana Diabetes Association. Immediately thereafter good things happened, so much so, that the Louisiana association came to the attention of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), which expressed interest in having the Louisiana Diabetes Association join them on a national basis. This invitation to join ADA was approved and the Louisiana group amended their association's name to, American Diabetes Association - Louisiana Affiliate, Inc. Louisiana's contribution as a member of the national team led many Louisiana volunteers to serve on national committees and officer positions. Sam Gallo became National Chairman of ADA in 1987. In the mid 1990's, some non-profit organizations consolidated state-wide groups into one national monolithic corporation. Many states, including Louisiana, considered this national shifting, or centralizing, authority away from local diabetes volunteer leadership to a central power a bad change of operations. In contrast to the central and autocratic view of management in non-profit organizations, there are those who believe in the concept of subsidiarity; or, that actions are best served when they are performed at the lower most level of society that is possible As a result of this learning experience, in the summer of 1999, the non-profit corporation known as Louisiana Diabetes Foundation, Inc. (incorporated in Louisiana) was formed. V. 03/2011