Muhammad Ali, other Olympians, honor Kentucky students for raising money for juvenile diabetes

Ali helps honor Ky. students for raising money

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Muhammad Ali posed for pictures, doled out hugs and helped honor elementary school students who raised $40,000 in a month for juvenile diabetes in his hometown of Louisville, Ky.

The former heavyweight champ and his wife, Lonnie, were joined by Olympic medalists Bill Evans and Doug Sharp on Thursday at Bloom Elementary School.

The school has raised more than $120,000 since 2005 to benefit the juvenile diabetes program at Kosair Children’s Hospital. Students washed cars, manned lemonade stands and emptied their piggy banks to raise money.

Lonnie Ali said the Muhammad Ali Center and Alltec donated $7,500 to the cause.

Evans won a gold medal in 1956 in men’s basketball and Sharp won a bronze in four-man bobsleigh in 2002. Ali, who has Parkinson’s disease, won a gold medal in boxing in 1960.

Information from: The Courier-Journal, www.courier-journal.com