For Karin Douglas, knowledge is not just a noble pursuit. It's what life is all about. She is the driving force behind a number of community initiatives, all directed toward getting people the information, education and inspiration they need to live better lives. "I have made it a priority in my life to do what I can to help others reach their goals and dreams," she says. It began at a local level in the 1980s, when she helped design educational programs for schoolchildren at a museum in her hometown of Stratford, Connecticut. In the late 1980's, with the help of the ITT Matching Grant Program, she started a scholarship for Paralegal Studies at nearby Sacred Heart University, her alma mater. Her public-spirited work took on a more personal tone in 1992, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like many who undergo lymph node surgery, she developed lymphedema, a condition that causes swelling in the arms and legs. Very quickly, Karin learned that there was little information available about this dangerous and painful condition. Frustrated that no one, including her doctor, could give her the facts she needed, Karin took matters into her own hands. She formed the first lymphedema support group in Connecticut and created the LYMPHEDEMA ALERT pink wristband, now used in many hospitals throughout the U.S., which alerts doctors and nurses not to use the at-risk arm for any treatments. She also designed a stainless steel LYMPHEDEMA ALERT bracelet which many patients wear to doctors visits. As a director for the National Lymphedema Network, Karin regularly speaks to breast cancer support groups about lymphedma awareness. Returning to her philanthropic roots, she also started a scholarship which finances post-graduate courses to train physical therapists in the treatment of lympehdema. If knowledge is power, Karin Douglas is doing all she can to create a stronger community.			Karin Douglas Agency Compliance Coordinator Flygt Trumbull, Connecticut