A community like no other

For three days, JDRF donors, volunteer and staff leadership, international affiliates, corporate and industry partners, and JDRF-funded researchers have put all other commitments on hold to gather in Washington, D.C., for JDRF 2016 One Conference. Above all else, One Conference is a celebration of progress toward our shared vision of a world without type 1 diabetes (T1D). Participants learn more about the profound impact JDRF has been able to make through our many collaborations together. More importantly, they gear up for the work that remains to honor our promise to keep people with T1D healthy and safe until we can deliver prevention and a cure.

As JDRF President and CEO Derek Rapp said in his State of the Foundation address Wednesday evening, “There is no more passionate and effective group of people when it comes to changing the world for those they love than the T1D community.” This spirit of togetherness electrified the conference. Many of our most ardent supporters have been part of JDRF for years, even decades.

After all, JDRF was founded by parents who sought a cure for T1D for their children—and everyone affected by this disease—and their legacy of a grassroots force like no other lives on.

Partners in progress

There is little doubt that this is the most exciting era in T1D research, and JDRF has played a role in some of the most significant advances in the past year alone. These successes are only possible through collaboration between the JDRF community and our many partners. We were honored to have representatives from our elite corporate partners on hand. It gave us a chance to thank Ford, Motor Company, Marshalls, Walgreens, Lilly, Advance Auto Parts and Novo Nordisk for making us part of their culture and rallying their employees, customers and communities to our mission. Jacqueline Giovanoni, of Lilly, captured this sentiment, when she said, “Lilly Diabetes’ partnership with JDRF is so meaningful because many of us, including myself, have a personal connection to someone with T1D.”

The progress in T1D research stems directly from the strength of our organization, our dedicated supporters, our many partnerships and our unwavering pursuit of a world without T1D.

JDRF comprises people around the globe coming together because of a common dream. Colleagues from our international affiliates in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel and the UK were on hand to exchange learnings from their advocacy, awareness and fundraising efforts in their countries with their counterparts in the United States.

As we know all too well, the incidence of T1D is growing globally. We can’t accept this. Now is the time for all JDRF supporters to do just a little bit more to accelerate progress. No autoimmune disease has ever been cured. Yet. Join JDRF in this fight. And when the story is told about the end of T1D, you will have played part.

Follow the story as it unfolds on social media: #JDRFOneConference and #JDRFHillVisits