World Diabetes Day is held every year on the 14th of November. The event is sponsored by the International Diabetes Federation and supported by the World Health Organization. "Bringing diabetes to light" is the theme of this year’s campaign.  Its goal was to educate people dealing with the disease about new treatments and health care coverage.

1,100 monuments in the world were illuminated in blue on Sunday. In Sacramento the Capital building was selected to one of those buildings. Several hundred people attended the evening event. The California Department of Public Health also hosted a diabetes health fair on the steps of the Capitol.

Tony Award-winning actor, dancer and singer Ben Vereen was one of the speakers at Sunday's event. He spoke about his own challenges living with diabetes. The chair of the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport, Jake "Body by Jake" Steinfeld, was also there to encourage Californians to increase their physical activity. 

According to a JDRF poll, as many as 3 million Americans have been diagnosed with type one diabetes. The American Diabetes Association says 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older each year.