Diuble sisters have a spring filled with honors

Abby and Lilly Diuble, ages 15 & 17, have received multiple awards and recognition this spring for their community service. Abby, who is finishing her freshman year at Manchester High School, and Lilly, who will be a senior at Manchester next fall, are the daughters of Angela and Scott Diuble of Manchester.

Abby and Lilly Diuble joined eight other Washtenaw County high school students in being celebrated for outstanding community service as finalists in the 21st annual Young Citizen of the Year scholarship competition. The Robert Bruce Dunlap Memorial Fund, administered by the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, provides a $2,000 college scholarship to the Young Citizen of the Year, and nine finalists, including the Diuble sisters, received $1,000 scholarships.

As two of the founders of the Diuble Family Vision Foundation, the girls have both been involved in community service through the school’s Leo Club, as Sunday School teachers at Bethel United Church of Christ, and primarily via their extensive involvement in the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ annual Vision Walk. Lilly has personally raised more than $200,000 total for the VisionWalk; Abby has also raised $50,000 for her special project, “Warning Hearing Impaired People (WHIP)” that distributes an alarm system to wake hearing-impaired people, especially children, in case of an emergency during the night hours. To date, more than 40 alarms have been distributed through Abby’s WHIP program.

It was the WHIP program that attracted the attention of Congressman Tim Walberg, who visited Manchester High School on Monday morning to present Abby with a special commendation. He spent time visiting with Lilly and Abby one-on-one about their accomplishments and also conversed with parents Scott and Angela Diuble about insurance issues.

“Not only is Lillian Diuble hard of hearing, she also has low vision,” wrote Diuble Family Vision Foundation board member Kelli Ripple in her nomination letter. “She likely has a condition called Usher Syndrome, which is a progressive loss of hearing and sight. Currently there is no treatment or cure for Usher Syndrome; but instead of feeling sorry for herself, Lillian — at the age of 7 — decided to do something not only to help herself, but to help others too,” describing Lilly’s involvement in the VisionWalk over the past 10 years.

Fellow board member Katelyn Schaible stated, “I am impressed with Abigail’s maturity, organization, and people skills; and her willingness to improve the lives of others within our community and the world beyond.” Abby also serves as Class President of her class of 2022.

Finally, Lilly, a charter member of the WISD Leo Club, the Lions Club youth service branch–which now meets at Manchester High School thanks to Lilly’s efforts–received a prestigious award from the Lions’ Michigan District 11 and the state of Michigan.

“Lilly was nominated to be the club ‘Leo of the Year,'” said Barry Allen of the Manchester Lions Club. “This went to our District Governor, along with nominations from the other Leo Clubs, and she was chosen to represent our six-county District. That selection also put her in the running for the Lions Leo of the Year at the state level, and the Council of Governors selected her above the other entries.”

Allen introduced Lilly and briefly described the evening the tornado ripped through their rural farm house, then Lilly provided a few words of thanks. As the Michigan “Leo of the Year,” Allen explained, Lilly is also in the running for the Lions Clubs International “Leo of the Year” and those results have not yet been announced. 

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.